


I Gave You All

by LunarMoonSz



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Harry, Alpha Harry Styles, Alpha Liam Payne, Alpha Taylor Swift, Alpha Zayn Malik, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, Beta Niall Horan, Chicken stuffed with mozzarella wrapped in Parma ham with a side of homemade mash (One Direction), Childhood, Childhood Friends, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Full Shift Werewolves, Gemma Styles & Louis Tomlinson Friendship, Harry Styles Has a Crush on Louis Tomlinson, I hope, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Bad At Titles, I'm Sorry, Idiots in Love, Kendall is so sarcastic that makes you wanna run, Louis Tomlinson Has a Crush on Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson is a Little Shit is an actual tag, M/M, Mating, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Minor Character Death, Niall Horan Ships Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Nick Grimshaw Is A Punching Bag, Oh My God, Omega Louis Tomlinson, Original Character(s), Romance, Slapping, So done, Soulmates, Taylor Swift Is Done, Werewolves, Wolf Pack, Zayn Malik & Louis Tomlinson Friendship, yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:15:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27553699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunarMoonSz/pseuds/LunarMoonSz
Summary: Louis Tomlinson never believed in fate.His sisters all fell for fairytales and beautiful endings, soulmates meeting and fates colliding happily, but he never believed them. Life was too harsh for fairytales to be true.Which was odd, because he was partly considered mythical himself.So, when his pack was attacked, and his family was gone, he didn't think before he ran miles and miles away from Doncaster in an unknown direction. In the direction of fate.When he ended up in Cheshire, entering the pack territory, he considered himself dead when five wolves surrounded him.But what didn't kill him, made him stronger, and changed his life forever.ORIn which Louis Tomlinson slaps everyone, Harry Styles is a dork who likes to act cool and never wear shirts, Zayn Malik knows everything, Liam Payne is done, Niall Horan ships it (so does everyone else), and fate fucks with everyone.Starring: Punching bag Nick Grimshaw, The Better Styles™ Gemma, actually nice Taylor Swift who ships it harshly, wingman Kendall Jenner, and happy endings.
Relationships: Gigi Hadid/Zayn Malik, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Joe Alwyn/Taylor Swift, Maya Henry/Liam Payne
Comments: 100
Kudos: 168





	1. Fate Is Dumb

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly? I don't know how this was born.
> 
> Maybe because I have a thing for wolves. Maybe because I have a thing for werewolves. Maybe because I so badly needed a cheesy, dorky, fluffy Werewolves AU 1D fanfic with angst all over it, because I got tired of reading fics with overly submissive Louis or way too OOC Harry. I needed badass Louis and dorky Harry and powers and romance.
> 
> Not that I haven't read any good 1D werewolf fics, but I kinda wanted my own world, so I guess I went ahead and made it.
> 
> This whole fic is highly inspired by 'I Gave You All' song by Mumford And Sons, it's a pretty angsty song.
> 
> Anyway, speaking of songs, I'm absolutely using 1D songs in this. Totally. If you saw lyrics in the middle of a chapter, don't be surprised.
> 
> Also, this fic would probably turn a bit dark later down the line, because what part of werewolves sounds rainbow and sunshine to you, but until we get there, we're in peace.
> 
> Also, keep in mind that this is a work of FICTION. Yes, some people tend to forget that. This is a FANFICTION. Yes. The characters in this are real by names and some personality traits only, the relations or the story is absolutely FICTIONAL.
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> But, at the end of the day, I guess if you're here, you have a thing for furry creatures and wolves and 1D, so hey, mutual.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Have fun and stay safe!!!
> 
> All the love, ML

_Cold_.

It was all that the young wolf could feel.

Cold. Snow. Freezing.

His bones were aching. His entire body was sore. He felt like dying.

He should've died a lot sooner.

He whined as he leaned his body against a tree, putting his tired feet to a little rest, because sitting on the frozen, snowy ground wasn't an option.

But it wouldn't be long until his legs failed him too.

His stomach grumbled and he pressed his face against the tree, trying to numb the pain.

He didn't know how long he has been walking, running, starving. He didn't know how far he has came, he didn't know when sun sat and rose, he didn't know anything.

He just knew that his death was inevitably a few steps away from him.

The grumbling died down, and the poor wolf held his helpless howl of hunger and fear in. Howling would just get the other hunting creatures' attention. He didn't want to be ripped to shreds while he still could feel.

His eyes could barely see any longer, vision blurry. His head was light, as if his brain was gone, and suddenly, dying sounded like a very good option.

At least he'd be numb to the cold.

He stubbornly pushed himself off the tree, taking a few stuttering steps into a clearing.

And then, his legs gave out.

_'Ah, you idiot,'_ his subconscious mumbled. _'We're gonna become food for any moving thing, lying like this in a clearing.'_

He didn't mind, really. At least he's made himself useful. To someone. To something.

What did it matter anyway?

So when he heard a wolf growl, he barely moved a muscle.

Fate was _dumb_. And this... this was his was his fate. That was why he was dying.

The smallest of noises escaped him, his barely awake conscious still struggling to stay alive, afraid of dying.

He felt the growling getting closer. In his mind, he snickered at all that he was his pathetic, eight years of life.

So this was how it was supposed to end. _Fantastic_. He didn't even get to shift more than twice.

At least he's died, knowing what being a wolf felt like.

The last thing he thought of, before his mind faded into darkness, was his mother's smile.

And, that a warm hand was touching his neck.

Dying felt good.


	2. So Maybe Fate Isn't That Dumb

"You think he's dead?" 

"Doubt it. His breathing is shallow, but his heart is sure as hell beating."

"How the hell is he even here? He's a pup, and the nearest pack is like... Miles away!"

"Maybe a rouge's child?"

" _Right_. Since rouges suddenly feel like having children with dozens of needs and a big, empty stomach. If they were _that_ responsible, they'd stay in a pack."

"You're right. But then... It wouldn't make _sense_. It looks like the kid hasn't shifted more than three times. At most."

The female alpha among them sighed. "Look, whatever the reason, I can't let a pup die under my watch. So let's pack it up and save the kid."

The wolves nodded, and one of them lifted the kid off the frozen ground. "God, he's freezing!"

The female alpha threw him a fur blanket. "Wrap him in this. He's not going to die anytime soon, his wolf is still holding on. Blake? Give me that vial in your bag. That would do it."

"Do what?" A young beta boy asked, looking at the small bottle filled with a scarlet liquid.

"Strengthen his wolf enough to wake him up, so we can feed him." The female alpha answered as she sat down, while another beta put the now wrapped up in fur wolf in her lap.

She ran a hand on the small wolf's head. "Alright kiddo, time to wake up."

She opened the bottle, and took a hold of the wolf's jaw, opening his mouth, then tilted the bottle. The scarlet liquid slowly slid out the bottle and into the wolf's mouth.

Once the bottle was finished, she took it away from the young wolf's mouth, and waited.

After a few minutes, the small wolf's eyelids fluttered, and then opened, revealing sparkling blue eyes, lit by the full appearance of his wolf.

"There, there, omega. You're safe." The alpha softly assured when the wolf let out a whine, eyes scared, open wide and searching. The alpha, however, patted his head with a gentle hand, and the small omega calmed down after a few moments.

"He's pretty." A young beta, not much older than twelve, mumbled. The female alpha laughed.

"Oh he is." She said as her fingers caressed behind the wolf's ears, and he purred at the touch.

One of the betas came running back with a piece of meat in hand. "Is this enough, Andrea?"

"Yeah, it should be." The she-wolf mumbled, taking the meat.

The omega quickly sniffed the air, eyes chasing after the food. The wolves collectively chuckled.

"Eat up, kiddo." The alpha held the meat in front of omega's muzzle, and the omega sniffed the meat suspiciously for a few moments before taking it.

"Smart one." Another beta commented, and the female alpha nodded.

"If it was me, I would've taken it without thinking." One of the betas solemnly stated, and another beta snickered.

" _That's_ why you were sick last month because of eating poisonous berries."

After the meat finished, the omega licked his lips and nose, then breathed deeply through his nose once, before he started smelling the air, curious about the wolves around him.

"Fancy some water?" The female alpha asked, and then started laughing when the young wolf grimaced at the thought of cold water, shivering. She grabbed a water bottle and opened its lid, and the young wolf opened his jaws wide, tongue out. The men around him laughed.

The wolf raised his lips to show his teeth in disdain, making it clear that he didn't appreciate the humiliation. One of the betas snickered. 

"Feisty, I see." He said, and the female alpha simply patted the wolf's cheek, smiling.

After the young wolf was fed and warm, the alpha sighed. "Little one, we have to return to the pack. And it's difficult to communicate like this, since you can't shift back for a while and talk, but I'd love it if you listen to me for a bit."

The young omega shook himself out of the fur blanket and stood on his feet, blue eyes wide, staring at the alpha, waiting for her to continue.

"You won't survive out here, pup. You may live for a while, but it's hopeless in the end." The alpha stated with a stern voice. "But you can take a chance and try your luck. There's no guarantee, but at least you can give it a shot. I can return with you to my pack, and see if they can accept you as their own. If not, we still have other options other than leaving out here to freeze."

The wolf listened, eyes clouding with thoughts as he considered the options.

"That is," The alpha added. "assuming that you can't return to your pack, or you don't have one."

At that, the young wolf whimpered, eyes going downcast, and the she-wolf quickly reached out to comfort him.

"There, there, it's gonna be okay." She smiled at the omega. "So, what do you say?"

The omega hesitated for a moment or two, thinking, then he pressed his cheek tentatively against alpha's hand, following the line of her arm until his face was buried under her armpit.

The alpha chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes." Then she stood up, motioning the wolves into moving. "Des would be an _idiot_ if he doesn't accept you, kid."

The omega blinked up at her curiously. The woman grinned.

"It's nice to meet you, omega. I'm Andrea. And until further information, you're the little one."

To Andrea, it seemed like the young wolf smiled.


	3. Screw That, Fate Is Real Dumb

The way towards the town was rather long. But Louis kept up. He has kept up with an empty stomach and a dying body, now that he was fed and surrounded by wolves, he could definitely keep up.

He knew the alpha walking in the front was Andrea, the same wolf who has saved him. She was faded gold and beautiful. The rest were following her, keeping Louis in a protective circle in the middle, while they ran or simply trotted.

At some point, Andrea howled. The entire group came to a stop, seemingly listening. Waiting. Finally, another howl answered, and Andrea barked a command and started running at full speed.

The group followed, and Louis willed his legs into running, keeping up with the group rather successfully.

In a distance, he saw the forest around them thickening. On instinct, he kept his eyes on Andrea, following her as the head of the group, so he wouldn't get lost in the woods.

When the forest thinned out, they ran past a frozen river, then they entered another line of trees, before they quickly thinned out and– _oh_.

The town in front of Louis was _big_ , big enough to be able to fit a population twice his tribe, which was consisting of thirty families, before it was destroyed.

This town at least had sixty. Which was a lot to handle. Even for a good Alpha.

Louis came to a sudden halt as he observed the town; how there was a big manor at the farthest end, and how the entire outskirts of the town faded into thick trees.

The wolves ran down the hill, yipping at him to follow, and Louis gulped.

Just _what_ he was dealing with?

He was in a territory with an Alpha powerful enough to run _sixty families_ and lead them, and they were _thriving_ , if the children running around the town were anything to go by.

The forest was white with snow, but the town wasn't covered in snow, the streets clean from frozen water. Some people were on their rooftops, cleaning them from the heavy snow. Despite the deadly cold, the town was definitely alive.

Louis followed the wolves with his eyes trained on the town in front of him, and soon enough, they ran past the training grounds and entered the said town.

The wolves around Louis were instantly greeted by the people, and eyes quickly snapped to him, recognizing him as a foreign being, and Louis almost shied away, but Andrea was quickly by his side, guiding him.

Andrea seemingly barked some orders at the other wolves, and they ran towards the big manor, while the she-wolf led Louis to a house in the outskirts of the town.

Before they've arrived, the door of the house opened and a man walked out with a piece of clothing in hand.

"I almost smelled 'im all the way, Andrea. Mind tellin' me what you're thinking?" The man asked in thick Irish accent.

Andrea started shifting back, and the man threw the cloth at her before her fur disappeared completely. She wrapped the cloth, which turned out to be a robe, around herself and started talking before she's even transformed back completely.

"You ask too many questions Bobby. All I know is that this omega kid was dying in the forest, probably miles away from where he should be. You know I can't leave a child alone like that, so I made a suggestion and he's taking his chances. Now bugger off, I'm here for your wife, not you."

The man huffed and walked out of his home, patting Andrea on the shoulder. "You have way much of a good heart for a huntress." 

Andrea answered by lifting her lips and showing her sharp teeth with a grin. "Tell that to the five deer I caught today. I paid for your food, Bobs."

The man simply laughed and walked away.

Andrea smiled at Louis. "Come on, little one, let's go inside."

Louis was reluctant about going inside the home with his dirty paws, but Andrea shrugged at his hesitation and showed her own feet, which was no better, and Louis gave in.

The moment Louis set paw in the home, he smelled herbs and medicines all around. It seemed that they were at the pack Healer's house.

A woman peaked out from another room and grinned. "Andrea, finally! C'mon c'mon, bring the pup here."

Louis walked towards the woman, who kneeled on the floor and held out a hand, which Louis sniffed at, getting familiar with her.

_Beta_.

Louis looked up at her, and she grinned, so wide and kind that even Louis felt like smiling.

"C'mere." The woman urged, and Louis walked in the room, which had a bathtub, and, unsurprisingly, was full of buckets of medicine up to roof.

"Alright, here's what we're gonna do." The beta said, and Louis felt Andrea walk away. He should've been scared, but he wasn't. Everything was too warm and good for Louis to take a step back. Even if his foolishness would cost him his life, he'd rather die in a warm place than a cold one.

The beta fumbled with something, and she brought out a vial filled with clear liquid inside.

"This will make you shift back, and forces your wolf down, and you won't be able to shift for an hour or so. But since I reckon that you haven't shifted more than three times at most, this might be painful."

Louis eyed the vial. He wanted to shift back. This wasn't his natural position, really.

He nodded at the woman, and she smiled, opening the vial.

"Okay, open up." He did, but the a thought crossed his mind; shifting back gave him weakness. He stated that he wouldn't appreciate if his weakness was taken advantage of, by pulling his lips back and revealing teeth, growling lowly.

The woman raised her brows, hand frozen above Louis' mouth. "Wow, okay. I won't hurt you, promise."

And the vial was tilted, and the first drop landed on his tongue.

The liquid burned, and the small wolf hissed but did move away until he's swallowed the entire vial.

The burning sensation transferred from his mouth to his entire stomach, and then from there, it transferred to his entire body, setting his blood on fire.

The wolf growled and whined, before curling into himself, feeling like his skin was being peeled off. His transformations have been painful, but this was _hell_.

He howled, and then screamed, his fur-covered hands gripping his arms tightly in pain. He felt like he was on fire, his mind starting to get fuzzy in pain, and he felt his wolf whining in confusion before it all went silent in his brain, only the pain staying.

Maybe it was minutes, maybe it was hours, but eventually, the burning died down and Louis lied on the ground, face wet with tears and body covered in sweat.

His brain felt blank without the presence of his wolf, since staying in wolf form for days has became a norm for him. There was nothing there for a few minutes, until Louis' vision eventually cleared, tears gone, and he saw the beta in front of her.

The hand that touched his shoulder felt almost cold, and he leaned into the touch, seeking the coolness. The beta chuckled a bit.

"If I could, I would've ran you a cold bath, but that'd make you sick, so we'll settle for a warm one.

Louis whined at the word 'warm', but he let the beta pull her off the ground and settle him in the tub. He felt boneless.

The water was warm, very warm, and Louis almost cried because he didn't need more warmth, which was ironic; he was dying of cold just a few hours ago.

Finally, the pain gave way to ache in his bones and muscles, and Louis growned as the beta started washing him.

"I know, omega, I know, it feels like proper hell." She mused, and Louis nodded.

"Let me distract you." She said as she suddenly dipped her hand in water and emptied it on Louis' head, and Louis almsot gasped in plea, ready to beg her for any form of distraction.

Beta seemed to get the memo. "What's your name?"

Louis suddenly realized that his tongue felt so foreign and heavy in his mouth. He tried for a few moments before he managed to move it. "L-Louis."

"With an 'S'?" She asked, and Louis almost hugged her, because yes, _yes,_ that was vital information. Mind you.

"Yes." He answered, his voice rough. The beta nodded.

"I'm Maura." A pause. "How did you charm Andrea?" She sounded genuinely curious, and Louis almost smiled. Almost.

"I almost died." He answered, blinking his eyes wide, and the beta paused her movements, then started laughing wholeheartedly.

This time, Louis _did_ smile.

He loved making people laugh. He used to make his sisters laugh.

Suddenly, grief hit him like a hurricane.

The beta stopped laughing, and looked at him with worry-filled eyes. "Oh, I'm so sorry, did I offend you? It's just... Your scent shifted suddenly–"

Louis shook his head. "No, I just... I just remembered my family." 

The beta's face went sad. "Oh. I'm sorry about that."

There was a few moments of silence, before the woman spoke again. "So, which pack are you from?"

Louis sighed. Right, distractions. "Austin pack."

The beta sputtered. "Wait, what?"

Louis eyes her curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"No, just," The beta said, and bit her her lip. "My dad was from that pack. Where are they now?"

Louis almost gave a cold laugh. "Now? Probably the other world."

The beta paused her movements of washing Louis entirely and put a comforting hand on his back.

"Rogues?" She asked, and Louis nodded, not looking at her. 

"I managed to run away." Was all he said. The beta rubbed his back.

"Where was their territory? Your pack, I mean." She asked softly, carefully.

Louis hugged his knees. His chest felt like crushing. "Doncaster."

There was silence from a few moments. It dragged out so long that Louis raised his gaze and looked at the beta. She was wearing a disbelieving look.

"You're kidding." She whispered, and Louis shook his head, frowning.

_What was wrong with her?_

She didn't say anything for a few moments, before the look on her face went serious. "Louis, do you have a good grasp of England's map?"

Louis nodded. Maura pressed her lips together. "Louis, we're currently in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire."

Louis' mind went blank.

The distance between Cheshire and Doncaster was at least fifty miles in a straight line.

"How–" Louis started, but his mind was way too blank for him to form anything coherent.

How far has he _ran_? How _long_ has he been running? How did he end up in _Holmes Chapel,_ of all places?

Louis shook his head. It didn't make sense.

"Louis," Maura sounded a bit far away. "That's not much of a distance for a grown, fed and healthy wolf, probably can be covered in hours, but you're a pup, barely even in control of your wolf. And I assume you avoided other packs?"

Louis nodded, barely registering her words.

"Then you've walked and ran nearly a hundred miles, and I assume you've rested in between for a few hours, it means you've been running and starving for at least three days in snow." 

Louis nodded again, now looking at her.

"How old are you?" She asked, and Louis found his mouth dry.

"Eight, turning nine this December." He mumbled, not knowing what to think.

"With an early transformation, nonetheless." She mused, as if talking to herself. "Omega, barely nine, in winter, running a hundred miles."

She shook her head. "Impossible."

Louis frowned a bit. "You think I'm lying?" 

"No." The beta answered quickly. "But I do find it bizzare."

He nodded, because he did agree.

Maura went back to washing Louis. "I don't think Andrea has any idea what kind of wolf she's stumbled upon."

Louis couldn't make sense of her words.

***

An hour and half later, Louis was dressed in comfortable pants and shirt, a jacket on, with a pair of vans on his feet (which Maura stole from his son's room), hair brushed (Maura complained _a lot_ about that), clean, fed (the soup was so delicious that Louis almost cried) and he could feel tiny bits of his wolf resurfacing again.

Andrea has came back, patted his shoulder and guided him out, towards the manor, and Louis shivered at the cold.

And probably at the feature ahead of him that was unclear. Most probably at the future.

People around him eyes him curiously, adults more subtle and children more obvious, and some of them greeted Andrea on the way.

Louis figured that Andrea was an important person in the pack, and judged by Bobby's words, she was a huntress, probably the _head_ huntress.

Meaning that she could easily just use Louis as food, but she's saved him instead.

"Um, Andrea?" Louis tentatively called out, and Andrea turned her head to look at him. "I'm sorry I couldn't earlier, but no matter what happens, I'm grateful that you've saved me."

Andrea smiled. "Oh my, Louis, dear. It's nothing. That's just being a decent person. Despite being an alpha, I'm a mother, Louis. I can't just let children die."

Louis smiled back, and with that, they reached the manor doors.

Right. This was it.

Andrea pushed the doors open and walked in. They went through a few hallways, before they reached another door, and Andrea pushed it open as well. Instantly, sounds of argument filled his ears.

"Oh _bullshit_!"

"What, you have a better idea?"

"I could suggest setting this room on _fire_ and still look smarter than _you_ , Grimshaw!"

"What? That's dumb!"

" _You're_ dumb."

"For the love of _God_ , shut _up_! Alpha, can we kick Grimshaw out of the pack?"

"That's like, the tenth time you've suggested that this week, Geoff."

"Let's be real, it's a brilliant idea."

"No, I cannot kick Grimshaw out of the pack."

"Ha! _Eat it_ , Geoff!"

"Oh screw off, Peter!"

Louis looked around the room, which looked like a council room, with people sitting around a big table, shouting across each other's heads.

At the end of the table, there was a man sitting, looking around the room in silence, commenting from time to time, and a woman sitting next to him, with a hand under her chin, looking like a mother watching her children arguing over _candy_.

It certainly _did_ look like that.

Andrea walked him inside, stopping a few steps away from the table, and suddenly, one of the people sitting around the table turned.

"Ah! Andrea, you're back!" He yelled, and Andrea grinned.

"That I am, Grimmy." She said, and another man turned.

"Thank God, Andrea. Please help me murder Peter."

The man that Andrea has called 'Grimmy' frowned. "Oh _come on_! You can't be serious!"

"But he is." Another man answered, looking calm in the middle of the chaos, a kid sitting next to him, reading a book.

"I hate y'all." The man who Louis assumed was Peter _and_ Grimmy, growled, and the man sitting at the end of the table sighed.

"Enough, all of you." He calmly said, and the shouting in the room died down. Louis shivered. The man radiated power.

"Now, Andrea," The man, whom Louis assumed was the Alpha with the authority he held, turned his gaze towards Andrea. "You came with news."

"Well, yes, Des." She said. "First off, we didn't stumble upon any rogue on the hunt. Traces here and there, two weeks old maybe, but nothing much."

The members of council were listening intently now, even the kid reading a book (how could he mange that in this room of chaos) has raised his eyes, looking at Andrea.

The Alpha, Des, nodded. "Go on."

"And second," Andrea stated. "Is this kid."


	4. Since Fate Is Dumb, We Ignore It And Make The Life Ourselves

All the attention in the room shifted on Louis, and his stomach clenched.

' _Keep your head up, Lewis. You can't back out now_.' His subconscious, most probably his wolf, whispered, and Louis took a deep breath and locked eyes with the Alpha. 

Every nerve in his body screamed to submit, to look down, but he stubbornly kept his eyes ahead, looking at the Alpha's eyes, refusing to submit. Because this alpha wasn't _his_ Alpha. He held no place for submission in front of someone who had nothing on him.

The scents in the room shifted to the ones of surprise, but Louis ignored them, keeping his eye contact with the Alpha.

"Come closer, kid." The alpha said, and Louis almost let his legs move without his consent. But, after a moment of holding out, he moved his legs, on his own command this time, coming closer, now standing in the middle of the circle of council members.

"What's your name?" The alpha asked, and Louis straightened his back.

"Louis. Louis Tomlinson." He said, loud and bold for the alpha to hear.

The alpha smiled. "Well, Louis, I'm Desmond Styles. Nice to meet you."

Louis smiled back. "Likewise, alpha Desmond."

Desmond shifted in his seat, leaning forward a bit. Next to him, the female omega, whom Louis assumed was the Luna, smiled kindly at him, and Louis felt a bit warm in the chest.

"So, Louis," The alpha asked. "Did my pack treat you nicely?"

Louis shifted on his feet. "Very nice, actually. I met Maura, who was very kind to me, and took care of me. And of course, Andrea," Louis turned to look at the alpha standing behind him, and found her smiling. He smiled back. "Who saved my life in the forest when she didn't have to."

He turned to look at the pack Alpha again, who nodded. "I'm glad to hear that, Louis." He stated, then his face went serious. "However, Louis, I'm curious to know why you were in the forest, all alone."

Louis wrapped himself mentally in steel. Right. He wouldn't cry in front of all these people. He'd save that for later. This was about _surviving._ Tears weren't going to save him.

"My pack was attacked by a group of rouges." He said, voice a bit lower, a bit more careful. "I don't exactly remember how it happened. All I remember is my mum telling me to run, and that's what I did."

Desmond's face was schooled in stone, but Louis could see his eyes burning at the thought of rogues, as some of the council members growled lowly.

"Which pack were you from?" Desmond asked, and Louis took a deep breath.

"Austin pack. The Alpha was Mark Tomlinson." He said.

"Wait," Geoff suddenly started. _"Tomlinson?_ But you jsut said it was the _Austin_ pack."

Louis shrugged. "It was. But my biological father, Troy Austin, the pack Alpha, died when I was barely a toddler, in a war with rogues. My mother chose another alpha as mate, Mark Tomlinson, and the council accepted him as the new Alpha, since the only child my father had was me, who was an omega."

"So you're son of a pack Alpha?" Peter asked. Louis nodded.

"Strange." Another female alpha stated. "Usually, the firstborn child of a pack Alpha is an alpha, so it can carry the duty. But that's not the case here."

Louis smiled sadly. "Yes, it seems. He had only one child, who disappointed him."

"No," Desmond stated, voice stern. "You're in no way a disappointment, Louis. You're just a child, yet you have a way with words and it seems like you're very knowledgeable for your age. Not to mention you have a strong spirit."

"Thank you, alpha Desmond." Louis answered in a low voice. "You give me way too much credit."

From the other side of the room, the kid with a book eyed him curiously, and smiled.

Desmond shook his head, but didn't say anything further about the subject. "Where was the place your pack last resided, Louis?"

Louis blinked. "Doncaster, Yorkshire."

Desmond raised a brow. The rest of the room fell into silence.

"Doncaster?" Peter frowned. "But that's... Are you sure?"

Louis frowned back. "Yes, very. We've always been there. Doncaster was our territory."

The Luna who was sitting next to Desmond, looked at the table thoughtfully. "But... Yorkshire is so far from Manchester."

"Exactly!" Peter exclaimed. Louis caught Geoff rolling his eyes. "Doncaster is, what, fifty miles away from Cheshire?"

"Fifty five, actually." The boy with a book stated calmly, his voice cutting through the room, and he smiled calmly.

"Yes Zayn thank you for the helpful input." Peter stated coldly and everyone chuckled. Louis smirked at the boy called Zayn. The boy caught his gaze and smiled back.

"But then, that would mean he has ran almost more than sixty miles from Doncaster to here, which is impossible. He's not even nine." Geoff said thoughtfully. "At least, that's how it looks like to me."

"That's what Maura said." Louis barely held his anger in. He hated it when people thought that he's lying. "I didn't believe it as well, but that's what happened. _Apparently."_

Desmond looked at Louis, seemingly contemplating whether he's lying or not. 

"Alpha Desmond," The Zayn kid spoke up again. "Statically speaking, that's not possible. However, it's not _impossible,_ either. We're werewolves, our bodies have high endurance and we're born to live in the wild. Carrying on with an empty stomach is not impossible. Louis might be young, but he's also shifted early. That speaks of a capable wolf spirit."

Louis almost gaped. _How much of a bookworm this kid was?_

"Well, look who's spent the whole Christmas in the library." The words were out of Louis house before he could catch them. His eyes went instantly wide, and he covered his mouth with his hand, looking around the room in fear.

' _Oh God Lewis how dumb can you get? You can't control that fat mouth can you? They're gonna kill you, you idiot!_ '

The rest of the council were staring at him with raised eyebrows, but to everyone's surprise, Zayn groaned.

"Can you _believe_ my mum grounded me for that? I told her that I'll be back in an hour, just in time for dinner! But she grounded me, and then, I missed the whole party." Then he shrugged. "Not that I minded much. I kept reading the book I was reading. It was all fine, until she came and took the book away from me too." He sat straight and leaned forward, fixing Louis with a look. "Now _that,_ Tomlinson, was a _nightmare."_

Louis grinned. "You're something else, Zayn."

Zayn grinned back, flashing white teeth at Louis. Louis looked away to return his attention on the pack Alpha. Who was looking at him with surprise written all across his features.

"Uh..." Geoff lamely cut the silence. "Thanks for the very informative story, Zayn, but that was a bit off-topic."

Zayn sighed. "I know, just... _Everybody_ thought I stayed in the library on purpose, which I _didn't._ It was a weight on my chest."

"Glad to help." Louis mumbled. Zayn grinned.

_"Anyway,"_ Desmond tried to get the discussion back on track. Louis looked at him. "Louis, you're a very strong omega. What Zayn said is true. You're not even nine, yet you can shift and survive. That's a special trait. Any other child, much less omega child, would've been scared and overcame by grief, but look where you are."

Louis smiled.

"However, Louis, currently, I don't have a position for you here in my pack." Louis' stomach dropped. His scent probably gave him away instantly. "However, that does not mean that I'll leave you alone in the wild. I have quite a few friends among different pack Alphas who I trust, I'll see if any of them can take you in."

Louis looked at his feet for the first time ever since he's entered the room.

"What do you say, Louis?" Desmond asked. It was as if his voice echoed in Louis' mind. 

Did Louis even have a choice?

He raised his head. ' _Be strong._ '

"I–" 

"I'm absolutely _done!"_

Louis turned around, words dying in his mouth as a feminine voice yelled.

There was a young girl, looking Louis' age, maybe a bit older, standing in the doorway of the council hall, _seething._

If Louis didn't know better, he would've mistaken the beta girl for an alpha.

She stomped in the room, looking absolutely _furious,_ growling in her throat, eyes flashing. She walked straight towards the pack Alpha.

"I'm so _done!!!_ I don't care if he falls into a hole and die, I don't care if a banshee takes him, I don't care if he runs into the wild and becomes a _caveman!!!_ I'm at the end of my patience!!! I've got gray hairs, mom! _GRAY!_ I'm not even ten!!!"

She pulled a hair strand out and showed it to the Luna who was looking at her with surprise, and Louis narrowed his eyes. It was gray, yes.

_Wow._

"Dad," The girl turned towards the pack Alpha, voice deep. "I don't know what is this _absolute monkey_ you've created, but spare me. I'm not looking forward to die at the age of fifteen!!! He ganged up the other kids against me and pulled a prank on me when I asked him to not leave his socks in the fridge!"

Zayn snorted, but the beta quickly growled. " _Shut up_ , Zayn."

Zayn looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, Gemma."

"Gemma, dear," the Luna started talking calmly. "Maybe you should–"

"Try a different strategy???" Gemma cut her mum off. "I've tried _everything!_ Sweet-talking! Bribing! Threatening! Grounding! What else?" She took a deep breath. "Mom, I'm done. Find him another babysitter. I'm out."

Then she turned around, pulled out a chair loudly and plopped down next to the pack Alpha. She moved her burning gaze on Louis, and suddenly her rage subsided. "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you."

Louis shrugged. "It's okay."

_'Siblings,'_ he thought bitterly.

Gemma narrowed her eyes. "You're that omega who huntress Andrea brought with herself, correct?"

Louis nodded.

"Well you're lucky." She smiled, and Louis suddenly realized how much she looked like her mother. He smiled back.

"I know."

Gemma looked at her father. "Dad, what are we discussing?"

Desmond turned to his daughte. "Gemma, we were discussing Louis' stay in the pack. He's an omega, and since we didn't have a position for him in the pack, we were thinking of asking other neighbor packs to see if they can take him in."

Gemma's eyes flickered towards him for a moment, as if she was thinking, and Zayn, who was drowned in his book suddenly perked up.

"Ah." He said, looking at Gemma. "Alpha, Gemma just had a brilliant idea."

Gemma looked doubtful. "I don't –"

Zayn closed his book, suddenly excited. "Come on, Gems, it's a good one."

Gemma pressed his lips together, and pack Luna turned to her. "We're listening, dear."

Gemma sank in her sit. "Well, uh..." She started, and then looked around the room before continuing. "Dad talked about not having a spot for him in the pack, but, now that I don't want to babysit, and no one else is _willing,_ I was thinking that maybe Louis could, you know, try and see if he can make it?"

Desmond turned to look at Louis, thoughtful. Louis swallowed his nerves.

_What's going on?_

"You have been full of surprises, Louis. Maybe the next one will be this." The pack Alpha stated, making Louis more confused.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not following." Louis' gaze flicked between Gemma, Desmond, and Zayn.

Gemma smirked. "Oh it's simple, Louis, _really."_ She leaned forward, now more confident. The tone suggested that it wasn't simple _at all._ "See, my little brother is wild. He's basically a caveman, with no manners, no hairbrushes, and he showers in the river in December."

Louis shivered at the mere thought. Was this kid who Gemma was talking about leading a mentally healthy life? No, probably not.

"No one can take him under control, and no one will. Say, Louis, if you can make my brother behave, you have a spot in the pack, and you can stay."

Louis swallowed. Too tempting, too tempting. Too good to be true. But really, could he make it? The kid's beta sister couldn't, what could Louis do?

Then again, Louis had sisters who he basically grew on his own half the time. 

Before he could think any further, the door of the council hall burst open, and Louis turned around again.

His _wolf_ almost lost all his fur.

There was a kid running in, barely six years old, and he was _stark naked._

Louis mind went blank. Gemma's words echoed in his brain. _Caveman._

What a beautiful word, _really._

The kid turned around, bundles of messy curls flying across his face, and faced the door.

"I did _not_ steal your shirt, Liam!" He yelled, voice loud, demanding, _alpha._

Ah, he was the heir.

Of course no one could tame him.

Another kid appeared at the door, not looking much older, furious, shirtless. "Yes you did! Give it back!"

"No!" The curly kid screamed. "I did not, Liam! I don't want your shirt! I don't want _any_ shirt!"

Louis almost snorted. _Obviously._

"My entire room smelled like you, of course you've stolen it! Now give it back! Unlike you, I have decency!"

"I don't care, Liam! I don't even know what this 'distancy' means! And I didn't steal your shirt! You have a jumpy nose, you get the smells wrong!"

_Jumpy?_

_Never mind that, distancy?_

Another kid ran inside, running past this Liam kid, standing next to Harry.

"Li, he really didn't! He stole me shirt to dip it in the river, not yours! I swear!" He yelled, frantic.

A teen girl appeared from behind Liam, leaning against the door, giving the kids a wolfish grin. "Who knows? Maybe it was our precious Nicky, Harry. He is still mad at you for making his white shirt strawberry pink the other day."

"Nick?" The curly haired boy, Harry, growled, looking out the window. _"Nicholas?_ I'll rip his throat, I swear–"

"Harry!" Desmond suddenly growled, making the kid jump and turn around, and the boy stared at his father for a few moments.

Then, he grinned. "Dad!" He yelled and waved at the pack Alpha, looking very pleased with himself, nothing like the little devil who threatened to rip someone's throat a few moments ago.

Then, he spotted Louis.

Their eyes met, and Louis stared at the mischievous spark in the kid's eyes which gave a flash to the green irises, making him look wild. The child eyed him curiously, and then, looked back at his dad.

"Who's he?" He asked, his voice carrying across the hall through the silence.

"Why don't you ask him, instead of me?" Desmond simply replied, and Louis didn't even need to look, he could tell the alpha was fond of his son, so much.

The boy's eyes shot right back to him. "Who are you?"

Louis smiled. "I'm Louis."

The boy tilted his head. "Harry."

Louis smiled. "Harold."

Harry frowned. "No, it's Harry."

"More like Harold to me."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Are your ears okay? It's Harry. _Har-ry._ It's always been Harry."

"Well it's Harold from now on." Louis shrugged, enjoying the banter.

Harry didn't agree with him there. "No it's not. You don't order me."

"But I kinda do." Louis said thoughtfully, riling Harry up.

"No." Harry said, stern.

Louis could care less. "Well, yes, actually, since I'm older."

Harry sniffed. "You're an omega."

Oh. He didn't wanna go _there._

"I am. Which means your life depends on people like me." Louis smirked.

Harry crossed his arm. "No it doesn't. I can survive on my own."

Louis rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't exist on your own. Where do you think you came from?"

Harry frowned, and didn't say anything.

Of course he didn't. If shutting people up was a university major, Louis would already be the professor. Forget PhD.

"That's right." Louis said, and turned around.

Gemma was smirking, almost wolfish. Desmond was barely holding his smile together. The Luna looked interested. Zayn was downright grinning, and the rest of the council looked smug.

Gemma looked straight at him, pressing the tips of her fingers together like a businesswoman. "Here's your game, Louis. You have until sunset. Put shirt and pants on him, and you can stay."

Louis took a deep breath. He could do this. Sounded a bit ridiculous, a lot ridiculous, but he could.

He turned to look at Harry, now with intent.

"You're not putting a shirt on me." The kid growled, and Louis smirked.

"We'll see about that, Harold, won't we?" Louis said as he took a slow step towards the Alpha heir, who took a step back.

The entire room was silent, watching.

"You're not." Harry said again.

"I am." Louis said right back, taking another step.

Harry bolted.

Louis jumped right after, the thrill of chase in him kicking in, ready to be freed. He ran out, following Harry's obvious scent down the hallways of the manor, and then he ran out of the building, where Harry's scent led him.

He saw Harry running into an alley, and he followed, letting his wolf come to the surface to allow the chase. When his legs carried him to a main road in the village with shops all around, he figured that despite the size difference, Harry was better fed, and so he was stronger and faster.

If he wanted to win this and catch the kid in this big town, he had to be faster.

"Louis!" He heard someone call, and looked back, seeing the kid, Liam, running after him, the blonde boy hot on his heel.

"Don't have time, Liam!" Louis called, grabbing the hem of the shirt and pulling it off.

He didn't want to rip someone else's clothes while transforming.

"Throw it!" Liam yelled, and Louis balled the shirt and threw it, Liam catching it with a dive.

"That's right, David!" Louis cheered, while reaching for his jeans. He stopped for a moment to take them off, peeling his ears for the sound of the footsteps of one prey he was following, who was apparently, legendary _clumsy._ If trips and stumbles were anything to go by.

He took his shoes off too, now completely naked, and Liam reached him.

"Take these clothes, they're Maura's. Give 'em back and thank her." Was all Louis manged to say before he bolted again, feeling his skin prickle.

"These are mine!" The other kid, Irish, Louis noticed, said loudly, and well, _that explained the similarities._

Louis ran on his bare foot, his wolf getting more and more agitated, and he felt his nails grow longer in claws, his vision changing.

Suddenly, like a painful snap, his body jerked forward, spine bending, bones breaking and shifting. Louis whined in agony, his feet kicking off the ground in a leap, and the next time he landed, he did so on swift paws.

He growled and ran faster, much faster than before, his wolf greedy for living, greedy for pack, greedy for warmth and thrill and home. He followed Harry's scent, trailing him through the streets and roads, and his wolf flickered through images in his mind; warm bath, pack Alpha's words, Zayn's eyes, Harry's curls, Gemma's smirk, the Luna's smile, Maura's touch, the smell of candles burning, the smell of food around him, the vivid picture of _life._

Louis wanted to stay. He wanted to stay here _so bad._

He was tired of being alone and cold and dying. He was tired of hunger and sadness and straying. He wanted to belong. He wanted to belong _here._

He didn't want anywhere else. He didn't know why he was so attached, but he didn't want to go anywhere. He didn't want to question anything, any part of this. He just wanted to _stay._

And he _would_ catch Harry.


	5. Surprise, And Even More Surprise

Harry's raw, alpha scent got stronger and Louis stopped, sniffing the air. It came from a house. He walked around the house, sniffing, and yes, Harry has set foot here seconds ago.

He jumped in through the window, the only opening, and looked around, listened. No, he hasn't gotten it wrong. He could hear Harry's frantic heartbeat. Somewhere here... Above him.

Louis looked up, at the roof above him. He hadn't thought this one through, had he? He looked around the house again, but he couldn't see a way upstairs. No stairs, no holes in the roof, nothing.

Louis frowned in confusion. Has his senses got it wrong? He could bet his _tail_ he was hearing Harry's breath coming out in pants, his heartbeat going slowly down, yet still fluttering like a hummingbird in anticipation. Hell, he could _smell_ his anticipation. With a hint of fear.

Strange child, really. Why was he so scared of a shirt and pants? What was wrong with any of those? 

Louis looked around again, desperately looking and not finding a way up. He swiftly jumped out the window and walked around the house again. He looked up and, _yep,_ there was a room right under the roof, with a small window.

With... A ladder leaned against it.

Louis almost bumped his head against the wall in frustration.

He shifted back, holding his noises of pain inside so he wouldn't startle the young alpha and give himself away. After the burning sensation on his skin subsided, he grabbed the sides of the ladder and climbed it, slowly going up.

He carefully looked inside, and _wow, what an idiot._ The kid was lying on the ground, hiding behind a sack of cloths, _with his back to the window_.

Why was Louis wasting his time on such a prodigy, really.

He slowly climbed through the window, landing softly on his feet, and Harry didn't hear because, well, first of all he was _dumb,_ and second of all, his wolf wasn't developed, and he didn't have enhanced senses like Louis. So, the way Louis breathed without a sound, his every muscle kept in check and moving in the most delicate way, landing on his feet a way no human could, was completely ignored by Harry's normal senses.

In other words... Harry wasn't a predator. Louis was.

(There was also this little secret that Louis used to be bullied a lot by other kids and he used to hide from them. Playing prey against some alpha kids with developed wolves has shaped him into what he was. But he'd never tell you that.)

He stood upright, looking around for any other way a kid could get away, and nope, the window was the only way out.

The room did look like it belonged to a kid, but... It smelled wrong. Not like Harry. It was probably a hiding place that Harry was aware of, that belonged to one of his friends, since he hadn't had a single trouble coming up here.

Louis took a deep breath.

"Hands up! Officer Tomlinson is here for the arrest!" Louis yelled loudly, his voice shrieking, echoing across the walls and the low roof, and the alpha kid _literally_ jumped on his feet with a loud squeak, like a mouse.

_'Congrats, Lewis, you almost killed the kid.'_

Louis grinned in victory as horror filled the young alpha's eyes. The young kid took a few steps back, away from Louis, and Louis took a few ahead, but stayed close enough to the window, so Harry wouldn't escape.

The young alpha growled. "Stay away from me."

"How about... No." Louis said with a smirk.

"Louis!" Another voice called, and Louis looked at the window, as Liam's head appeared in the small windowsill.

"Liam, what a pleasure." Louis said smugly, and Liam grinned.  
  
" _You,_ " Harry growled, and Louis looked at him curiously. "You traitor! Why are you taking sides with _him?_ "  
  
Liam growled back. "Because you stole my shirt, you little _minx._ It's about time you pay for it."  
  
Then, he showed his hand, a shirt and shorts in his grip. "Need help?"  
  
Louis grinned. "Gladly."  
  
Liam threw the pieces of clothing at Louis, and Louis tucked them under his armpit. "Thanks Liam, you can actually go away now."

Liam snorted, and Louis heard him going down the ladder, landing on the ground.

Harry looked at him, angry and confused. "Why did you let him go?"

"Because I'm the one who's supposed to do this, not Liam." Louis solemnly replied, and then, he leaped towards Harry.

Harry let out another squeak as his feet got tangled in the sack of cloths behind him and he fell backwards, landing on his bum. Louis took a hold of his arm, but Harry reacted and clawed at Louis' arm with his other hand, drawing thin lines of blood.

Louis hissed at the pain, and without thinking, he raised a hand and lightly slapped Harry on the left cheek.

Air left Harry's lungs in a rush, his body freezing in surprise, and Louis froze as well, the feeling of slight sting on his palm startling him.

He could feel his wolf face-palm in misery. _'Damn you, Lewis. No seriously, damn you truly.'_

Louis pressed his lips against each other as he waited for the alpha kid to react. Possibly a scratch across the face. And then he'd tell his dad about what happened. And Louis would die.

Because he just _slapped_ the heir of another pack across the face.

But Harry did nothing. He just breathed in small gasps, and then his arm went limp in Louis' hand, eyes going glassy.  
  
' _Oh no. Oh no no no no no._ '  
  
Louis quickly pulled Harry up by the arm, hugging him to his chest, and he took the clothes that Liam has given him and jumped out the window. Harry clung to him, and Louis landed painfully on his feet, but he could care less as he ran towards the direction he could smell running water from. Eventually, they reached a creek that Louis guessed was a part of the river, and Louis didn't know how he felt about this, but the water shouldn't feel that cold to a kid who showered in freezing water in _December._ If Gemma hasn't been exaggerating.  
  
He put Harry down, and held his small face in his hands. "I'm gonna shower you here, yeah? You're dirty and dusty and smell of streets and wilderness. Can't ruin Liam's clothes like that, can we?"  
  
Harry silently nodded, and Louis smiled, walking Harry to the edge of the creek. Without hesitation, Harry dipped himself in the water and Louis made quick work of washing him.  
  
He felt someone watching them, and he turned, seeing the blonde Irish kid standing a few feet away.  
  
"Hi." The kid mumbled, and Louis smiled.  
  
"Hi, Ireland." Louis greeted back, and the kid grinned.  
  
" 'm Niall."  
  
"Louis."  
  
"Why are you washing Harry?" Niall asked, seeming genuinely curious, and Louis shrugged.  
  
"Because he was dirty and I didn't want to dirty the clothes as well." Louis explained. Niall nodded.  
  
"Ya need a towel." Niall stated, and then he turned around, walking away. "I'll bring ya one."  
  
"Thanks!" Louis yelled after him. By the time he was done washing Harry, Niall has returned.  
  
" 'ere is a towel. And my clothes you left with Li. You're naked." Niall said, handing Louis a bunch of clothes, and Louis sighed.  
  
"Do everyone who hang out with Harold eventually end up naked?" Louis asked, and Harry scoffed softly behind him.  
  
Louis didn't need to look to know that he was pouting.  
  
Niall laughed, loud and joyful. "Yeah, kinda."  
  
Louis nodded, and turned around, drying Harry with the towel.  
  
"You know I'm grown up enough to do that myself." Harry grumbled, and Louis scowled.  
  
"If you were grown up enough, you wouldn't be naked like a newborn."  
  
"It's not like you're wearing anything." Harry mumbled, looking away, and Louis gaped at him.  
  
"I just shifted back from my wolf form, of course I'm naked! But did you shift back from your wolf form? No! So stop being stubborn and put clothes on."  
  
That statement seemed to piss Harry off, because he glared at Louis, a deep rumble forming deep in his throat.  
  
"Just you wait. When I turn wolf, I'll make sure you eat dust." Harry threatened and Louis rolled his eyes.  
  
"Yeah okay, sure." He said dismissively, pulling the shirt over Harry's head. Suddenly, Harry growled at Niall who was standing behind Louis.  
  
"Leave." And with that one word, Niall rushed away, not even looking back.  
  
Louis shook his head.  
  
Harry looked back at Louis. "Why do you want to make me miserable with clothes?"  
  
"I don't, Harry," Louis answered. "I wouldn't if I had a choice. You think I'm happy dealing with you? But if you don't wear this, I'll die."  
  
Harry's eyes widened, anger disappearing from his face. "Die?"  
  
_'Yeah maybe you exaggerated.'_  
  
But still, it was kinda true.  
  
"Yes Harry. _Die._ I won't have a home, no food, and I'll freeze in the snow." Louis said, shivering at the thought of his past few days.  
  
Harry shook his head. "You can't die."  
  
Louis looked at him in confusion. "What?"  
  
Suddenly, Harry's smaller hands gripped his face. "You can't die! I hate you but you can't die!!!"  
  
Louis frowned. "Why not?"  
  
Harry growled. "Because your eyes are so pretty, you can't die. Your pretty eyes can't die!"  
  
_Pretty?_  
  
Louis was frozen, not knowing what to say.  
  
Harry frowned, determined. "If I wear clothes, will your pretty eyes stay alive?"  
  
Louis nodded. Harry nodded back, letting go of Louis' face.  
  
"Then we got a plan." Harry said, and Louis only stared.  
  
He might as well play along.  
  
"Sorry." He said before he could stop himself.  
  
"Why?" Harry asked, green eyes wide.  
  
"For slapping you." Louis mumbled, and Harry huffed out a breath.  
  
"It didn't hurt. I'm stronger than that."  
  
Louis grinned, while Harry looked away, pouting.  
  
"Well, big boy, wear your shorts then. Can't let my pretty eyes die, now can we?"  
  
Harry looked at him, lips pressed in a thin line while he pulled his shorts up. "Where are we going?"  
  
Louis stood up, crossing his arms. "Well, we're heading back into town. We have time until sunset, so maybe you can show me around?"  
  
Harry thought for a moment. "I'm hungry."  
  
Louis frowned. "Didn't you have lunch?"  
  
Harry sighed. "No. Gems told me if I wanna have lunch, I should put something on. I said no. And so, no lunch. I tried to get myself something from the fridge, but I forgot my socks there. She got pissed, and I was real hungry, so I told the boys to prank her. And then she went mad."  
  
Louis nodded, then reached out and hugged Harry to his chest, lifting him up. Harry glared.  
  
"I'm not a baby. I don't need hugging."  
  
"No you don't. Except that you're not wearing shoes and I've just washed you. So."  
  
" _You_ 're not wearing any shoes."  
  
"I'm older. And not showered."  
  
"Liar. Your hair smells like shampoo."  
  
"No it doesn't."  
  
Louis and Harry kept on bantering, walking back in the town. Harry gave Louis directions toward a bakery, and they stopped a few feet away from it, looking at each other.  
  
"Now what? We don't have money, how do we get sweets?" Harry asked.  
  
Louis smirked. "You said the owner is a lady?"  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Good, then we charm her." Louis said, and Harry tilted his head, like a puppy.  
  
"Charm her?"  
  
"Yes," Louis confirmed. " _Charm her_. You flash those dimples and green eyes at her, and she'll give us anything we want."  
  
Harry looked at him in silence for a few moments, before he grinned.  
  
"Let's do it."

* * *

The lady behind the counter turned around at the sound of laughter.  
  
A boy was standing there, caramel brown hair brushed back, rounded eyebrows and blue eyes blinking, long lashes brushing against flushed cheeks. His eyes had a hint of mischief, his wide smile tiptoeing on a smirk. He might've as well been the most soft looking, the prettiest omega she has laid eyes on. And _she_ was an omega _herself._  
  
In his arms, there was the heir. Clean, ends of his hair still wet, slightly curled, looking neat in his shirt and clean shorts, legs slightly hitting the older boy's hips. His green eyes were wide, bright and laughing, his face almost splitting with a wide grin, dimples out.

The picture in front of her was the most beautiful thing she's seen in her entire life.  
  
She cleared her throat. Both boys turned.  
  
"Um, how can I help you, young men?"  
  
The heir flashed him a full-out smile. "We were thinking if you'd be kind and give us a few pastries? We both got busy and skipped lunch, so you'd be a dear if you give us some."  
  
The older boy also grinned at her. "Me and Harry don't have any money, but I suppose you wouldn't charge your Alpha heir here, would you, love?"  
  
The lady was stunned into silence. The heir leaned towards her from the older boy's embrace, smiling sweetly at her. "I don't have money, but you'd be the sweetest if you give me three cupcakes, and five small doughnuts, maybe I can return you kindness one day?"  
  
The young alpha tilted his head, and that was it. The lady rushed to give them their orders so fast she almost tripped over her own feet.

Behind her, Harry laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any and all feedback is appreciated.
> 
> Love, ML


	6. Slow Changes, Slower Steps

Harry broke into another fit of giggles.

"But did you see that? Did you? I just said what I wanted to have and she gave it to me! Was I good at charming her? I must be." He excitedly explained the events once again for Louis, and Louis couldn't help but chuckle, holding the young heir tighter in his embrace.

When he wasn't trying to run away or rip clothes off himself, little Harry was really adorable.

"You certainly did, young Harold." He said, for probably the tenth time that evening.

Harry grinned around his cupcake. "That's not my name." He mumbled, but he didn't snap this time; He was too content with his cupcake to do anything. He reached for the paper bag in Louis' hand. "Gimme another."

Louis pulled the bag away from the alpha's grasp. "Absolutely not! That's, what, your third cupcake?"

Harry gaped. "But I didn't _have_ lunch!" He whined. Louis wasn't having any of it.

"Which was _your_ fault. It wasn't my duty to feed you anyway, but I did. Now stop moving, you'll fall like this."

Harry pouted, going still in Louis' embrace.

After a beat of silence, the Alpha heir mumbled something else. "You did good too."

Louis smirked. "Of course I did. Ladies sound to be more your area of work, but hey, I was a good partner."

At this, Harry frowned. "I don't do partners. You're my sidekick. Like Robin."

Louis scoffed. "Hate to break it to you, shorty, but that was definitely teamwork."

Harry's frown deepened. "No. I'm the Alpha. I do the main work and you help me."

Louis pinched the skin of Harry's leg, drawing out a yelp from the younger boy. "No. We _all_ do the main work, because we're a team, a pack, and that's how it works."

Harry frowned, deep in thoughts. "You were better with ladies."

Louis raised a brow. "No I wasn't."

Harry chuckled, looking sad. "If I was good, I would've charmed Gems by now."

Louis let out a huff of laughter, as they entered the mansion building. "That's not how it works."

The rest of the walk up to the council hall was quiet. Once Louis and Harry reached the hall's door, Harry started wriggling in Louis hold.

"Down, down, put me down!" He insisted. "The floor is clean, no dust, put me down."

Louis rolled his eyes and put the boy down. Harry took another bite of his cupcake, and placed his hand on the slightly ajar door, pushing it open.

They walked in, and they ignored the people in the hall altogether. "I want another cupcake." Harry demanded with a very convincing pout.

Jokes on him, girls were much cuter, and Louis has dealt with his fair share.

"No." The omega simply replied, smirking. Harry's pout turned into a frown.

Louis has lost track of the amount of puppy jokes he's wanted to make about Harry and his facial expressions.

Suddenly, a book fell on the ground.

George turned to look at Zayn. "Zayn, what's...?" He followed Zayn's line if gaze, and his eyes landed on Louis and Harry.

The others did the same. The hall fell silent.

After a beat or three of silence, Gemma plopped down on the closest chair. "That's it," She distantly whispered. "That's it, I've died under my younger brother's continuous torment and gone to heaven, and this picture right here is nature taking revenge of me."

She went absolutely ignored by Louis and Harry.

"But I want another! You talked teamwork, half of that is _mine_!" Harry argued, and Louis scoffed.

"Yeah right, except that I had to carry you and hold you up because you couldn't even reach the counter." He shot back, and Harry dramatically gasped.

"I charmed her, not you! If you've went in alone, she wouldn't have given you a thing!"

"Oh really? I bet I could've done it on my own."

"No you could not! She's an _omega_ , how could you charm her?"

"Like how I _did_! You owe those cupcakes to me!"

The council watched with mouths agape as the two boys bantered back and forth, neither backing down. 

"And your doughnuts are _mine_! But you just made three of them disappear!"

"Disappear? I saved them from your vicious actions!"

Harry looked at him in confusion. "Why do you read more books than Zayn? What this ' _visions_ ' even mean?"

Louis rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Vicious means cruel. And besides, with the amount of books _you're_ reading, you'd make a horrible Alpha."

Harry growled. "I'm not cruel!"

Louis raised a brow. "Is that all that was important to you out of all the things I said?" He asked blankly. That seemed to piss the young alpha off more.

"Of course it was! I'm not cruel! Take that back!" He yelled, voice growing deeper, the small signs of an Alpha command that he'd use in the future creeping in his voice.

Louis didn't move an inch. "You take calling me your sidekick back, and I'll take cruel back."

Harry scoffed, crossing his own arms. That made him look even more petulant, but Louis figured that mentioning that would only earn him a good scratch at the moment. He saved it for later.

"Why should I take sidekick back? It's true."

Louis snickered. "It's not. You know why? Because I wasn't the one kicking your side back there."

Harry's face shifted to one of confusion, before it downed on him. Back there, he was mad at Louis for carrying him in the shop, and he kept kicking Louis' side and hip as revenge.

Then the joke became clear to him, his eyes widening in wonder, before he burst into a fit of delightful, young laughter.

Louis chuckled as the young alpha's faced turned flushed red in laughter, endless sounds of joy escaping him, like he's never heard something funnier.

Louis shook his head with a smile as Harry put a hand in front of his mouth to stifle his laughter, mumbling ' _sidekick_ ' under his breath.

Harry gave him a smirk after his laughter died down. "That was a bad one."

Louis raised his eyebrows exaggeratedly. "Oh, I see how you _didn't_ laugh at all." He drawled, and Harry stuck his tongue out at him.

Louis chuckled and kicked the young alpha softly in the shin. Harry let out a light-hearted growl, and punched Louis in the arm. In one dramatic act, Louis gasped at the contact, and fell sideways, collapsing on the wooden floor. The punch wasn't even strong enough to hurt, but Louis wasn't Louis if he wasn't dramatic.

The act worked, and Harry let out a loud bark of laughter, bursting into a fit of loud cackles. Louis joined him in his laughter, letting out soft giggles of his own. The Alpha heir softly kicked at Louis' foot, giving him a full dimpled smile, all teeth and mischief. Louis grinned back with a sharp smile of his own, his blue eyes flashing in the light, his wolf surfacing a bit as joy slowly filled his chest a bit. The fact that he was flashing his fangs at a wolf who wasn't his pack should've been counted as threatening.

Harry didn't even stir in his place.

Finally, the Pack Alpha cleared his throat, drawing the attention of people around him from the two boys to himself.

"Well," He started, loud enough for everyone to hear. "It seems like Louis is staying then. The deal is done from his side, and we should commit to ours."

Then he gave Louis who was lying on the ground a smile, and Louis' entire being sighed in relief.

Then the omega caught a honey-colored gaze. He looked into Zayn's eyes, and the younger alpha grinned at him, apparently pleased with the turn of events.

Louis finally let out a breathless chuckle, the sound catching in his throat, his eyes filling up with tears. Tears of relief, happiness. sadness, fear... He didn't know which one. Maybe it was all. 

He looked out the window as Harry sat down on the ground next to him to dig into the pastry bag.

The sun has just started setting in the horizon.

He wondered if his mum could see the sunset too. To Louis, it seemed too beautiful to miss.

It seemed like it was grieving the loss of light.

* * *

The walk from the mansion to Styles' household wasn't that long. Much to Louis' surprise, not only that the family of the pack Alpha didn't live in the mansion, the house was rather normal and ordinary. You couldn't tell it was house of the leader of the pack. Louis thought to himself that it was also a smart defense mechanism. When you couldn't tell it apart, you couldn't harm it either. It was a form of camouflage. 

Alpha Desmond was staying in the mansion, since he had work to do, what with the peak of winter approaching, so Anne, Gemma and Harry walked him towards his temporary home. According to Gemma, they had a guest room that Louis could stay in.

He walked in after Anne, and the mixed scent of Anne, the strong musk of Desmond, traces of Gemma and small bits of Harry's scent hit him. He hesitated, his wolf silently warning him. This was someone else's territory. No matter how his logic insisted that he could walk in further, his wolf pulled him back.

Anne sighed. "When Desmond came here to pick up some documents this evening, he must've unconsciously scented the whole place. He should keep himself in check."

Louis slightly grimaced, but it wasn't like he could blame the alpha. Heck, he wasn't even officially part of the pack, much less _family._

The word stung in Louis' chest. He shrugged it off. He had more pressing issues at hand.

Gemma stayed by the fireplace, crossing her arms, raising a brow at Louis. "Well?" She asked. "Go ahead, scent this place a bit. Can't have you sleeping by the door."

Gemma's tone was sharp, and Louis understood. No matter how much Gemma's brain knew she's let Louis in herself, her wolf only recognised a stranger in her home. 

He looked at Anne for confirmation, and she smiled, looking much more comfortable than Gemma. "I was thinking maybe we could try scenting Louis first to shrug off the hostility. It's getting thick in the air." She joked, and Gemma looked sheepish.

Louis stiffened. Right. _Scenting._ He wasn't much sure about that. Maybe because he was in an unfamiliar territory, but whatever it was, his wolf shied away at the mention of physical touch.

On the opposite, Harry beamed. "Really?" He yelled. "We can do that? I've _never_ done that! Taylor _hates_ it. Niall wouldn't let me, Zayn and Niall and Nick too. I've never tried it, but dad said I should practice!"

Gemma giggled. "That's because you annoy them, they don't like you."

Harry's face fell. "But they do!" He whined.

Anne stepped in. "Of course they do, baby. Gemma's just kidding. Now, are you okay with that, Louis?"

Louis looked at Anne, who was looking back at him. He slowly nodded.

If he wanted to stay, he had to fight a bit for it.

Anne smiled encouragingly. "Well, go ahead."

Louis looked at the couch, finding it rather a good place for scenting. He walked closer to it, sniffing the air, letting his instincts take over. The couch smelled a lot like Gemma, and he hesitated before he brushed a hand on the back cushion. He heard Gemma hiss, and he went to retrieve his hand, but Anne tutted, and Gemma mumbled a sorry. Louis mumbled it right back.

The cushion was soft, and Louis ran his hand along it, feeling Gemma's scent getting covered and overwritten with his own. He turned his hand, running the inside of his wrist, where a scent gland was, down the back cushion until he reached the bottom, bending down to press his hand on the seat cushion. He kept his emotions in check the best he could, making sure the scent he's emanating isn't scared or hostile, more comforting and calm. Then he removed his hand, feeling more comfortable, and slowly moved to sit down on the couch that now had traces of him. 

He hesitantly settled, back straight and rigid, hands forming loose fists in his lap. He took a deep breath and then, closed his eyes.

The first touch he felt was Harry, plopping down next to him on the couch, their arms touching. "Woah," The young alpha whispered in awe. "You should teach me sometimes. I don't know how to do it."

Louis smiled a bit, but his smile fell as soon as he felt a presence behind him. He assured his wolf that it's just Anne, but still, he braced himself.

Anne's hand softly touched his hair, settling on his head, and Louis' insides turned a bit. He knew he's safe, but his wolf still wasn't happy about the place of weakness he's put himself into. That feeling, of course, faded once Anne's calming scent filled the air around him, and his back relaxed a bit.

Anne started softly brushing his hair with her hand, scratching his scalp a bit, and Louis whimpered, leaning into the touch. He heard Gemma chuckle, and he opened his eyes just enough to shoot her a glare. Anne walked around the couch without taking her hand off Louis head, and sat down next to him, leading his head to rest it on her shoulder. Louis went with it, nosing the side of Anne's neck. He could smell Desmond's scent there, and he smiled. The alpha was stern-looking, but he loved The Luna and it was obvious.

Anne kept scratching his scalp, softly rubbing behind Louis' ears, and Louis felt like crying. It felt like years since he was properly showered by affection like this. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

He instantly decided that he could trust Anne.

His throat was itching by the urge to purr, but he could feel Gemma's eyes on him, and he refused to turn into a puppy in front of her. He had _pride._ Gemma, however, moved and lifted Harry off the couch (who protested with a hiss) and sat in his place, putting Harry on her lap.

Louis opened his eyes to inspect Gemma once he felt her hand move closer. Gemma was smiling softly, but her hand was going for his neck. Louis understood: As someone close to Gemma's age, and if Louis has guessed right, the future pack Beta, the responsibility to make sure people around her brother, her _Alpha,_ weren't threats fell upon her. She had to make sure that she could trust Louis, and for that to happen, as an outsider, Louis should trust her first.

With his _life._

Louis pressed his lips together, his wolf unsure. But Gemma tilted her head a bit, revealing her neck just a little, and Louis slowly mirrored the action. Gemma's hand reached out, and Louis exhaled a shaky breath, Anne's hand a constant reminder of his safety.

Back of Gemma's knuckles rested on his pulse point, and Louis let out a soft growl. Gemma chuckled again, her laugh borderline a playful growl of her own, and tilted her own head completely, revealing her neck.

Louis reached out, the tip of his fingers resting on Gemma's neck, and Gemma jumped and hissed at the closeness of nails to her lifeline. Now it was Louis' turn to chuckle.

"I hate you." Gemma hissed with a sharp smile. Louis grinned and shrugged.

"You need me." Louis rasped, his voice affected by his wolf surfacing a bit.

Harry suddenly hissed. "I wanna try too!"

Before anyone could do anything, Harry jumped from Gemma's lap into Louis', staring at his defenseless neck.

"Harry, baby, _wait--"_ Anne started.

Harry, however, _didn't_ wait. He reached out and removed Gemma's hand, green eyes wide, looking at Louis' neck, as if he's never seen one before.

Louis hand fell from Gemma's neck, at his side, and everyone inspected Harry as he reached out and rest his small palm on Louis' neck.

Anne's hand tightened its grip in Louis' hair protectively, but there was no need. To Louis, Harry wasn't a threat.

Harry's eyes widened even more. And there Louis thought they can't go any wider. "It's so _warm_." He whispered, somehow amazed, and Louis smiled.

Harry's hand moved from Louis' neck to his shoulder, staying there, eyes never leaving his neck. His nostrils were fluttering, obviously smelling Louis' scent. 

Louis wasn't surprised when Harry curiously leaned in. Gemma and Anne were.

Gemma let out a shriek, gripping Harry's arm to stop him. She was a breath too late, however, because by the time she's gripped Harry, Harry's nose was at where Louis' neck met shoulder.

Louis smirked as Harry took a deep breath, drawing the smell in, eyes still open wide.

"You smell different." Harry mumbled, smiling softly, gripping Louis' shirt like a baby. He pressed his smaller form against Louis', seeking he natural comfort. He softly brushed his nose against Louis pulse point, and Louis chuckled.

"That's because you stink." Louis said, and Harry gasped dramatically.

"I don't!" He protested into Louis' neck. "I shower in the river everyday."

"You do the world a favor, Harold, _really_ ," Louis sassed. "Who would want to see your dirty, naked body. The _least_ you can do is cleaning it."

Harry growled at that. "Nick smells, not me."

"Nick?" Louis softly asked, curious. This was the second time Harry has mentioned him.

"Nicholas Grimshaw." Gemma sighed, exasperated. "He's a prat, that one. Likes pushing people's buttons. Likes pushing _Harry's_ most."

Harry suddenly threw his body sideways, lying across Louis and Anne's legs, head resting on Anne's lap. "Taylor thinks he's a jerk. She doesn't like him." Harry huffed. "They get into fights. Nick always loses." Then, he growled. "I never win."

"Sounds like a bully," Louis mumbled. "Bullies deserve punches."

Anne sighed. "Here we go..."

Gemma raised her brows. "Punches?" Then, she grinned. "Like _you_ can throw one."

Louis raised a perfect brow. "Wanna try and see if I can?"

Gemma smile faded. "Wait, you're serious."

Louis shrugged. Harry looked at him curiously. "I did deal with bullies back at my pack. We were..." His eyes stung a bit. "We were surrounded by rogues, they took the hunting grounds. Children were hungry, there wasn't enough food or medicine. My mum... she was a pack Healer. She worked day and night, because hunters and scouts returned home bloody."

Anne reached out and brushed his hair with her hand, comforting him. Gemma has tensed at the distressed pheromones. Harry was openly hissing.

"We never..." Louis took a deep breath, something in his chest shuddering. "We were five kids; Me, my sisters, Lottie, then Fizzy, then... then Pheebs and Daisy. They were... all too young. The pack was hungry, a few went feral. It was madness, and we were going down. Starvation didn't do well on teen and younger alphas. They saw kids as... as food."

Gemma loudly growled at that, almost making Louis jump. Louis wiped away a traitor tear that has escaped. "They would break into our home in winter, wanting to take my sisters. Mum wasn't home, all alphas were trying to hunt. There wasn't anybody to protect us, so... I did it myself."

Louis remembered the first punch he's thrown. It was a vivid memory, sharp in his mind. An alpha had his hand on Fizzy's neck, and Louis has gone mad with rage. So he threw a punch.

He broke the alpha's jaw.

It wasn't that omegas couldn't fight. That was _bullocks;_ they could. They were wolves, _of course_ they could. They were mothers, they fought for their children. An omega wasn't to be messed with when they were on protective mood. There were countless omegas that has ripped apart alphas when their children were attacked.

But the thing was that, unlike alphas, aggressiveness wasn't exactly in their nature. All wolves were protective, but omegas were more so. All wolves could be aggressive, but alphas were more so. That was the difference. And these traits didn't show before puberty. Omegas were more calm, seeking protection, while alphas were more jumpy and possessive, providing the said protection.

So, when Louis punched an alpha square in the jaw and broke it, that was unnatural.

Because he was just so, so young.

But, that punch seemed to seal something in Louis. It was like the part of him that should've felt guilty over causing harm to another creature has been shut off. He sneered at alphas while walking in dark allies, disrespecting them instead of respecting, kicked and bit and punched and clawed and just turned simply _hostile._

Hungry stomach didn't help.

Louis lost count of nights which he went to bed with an empty stomach. He lost count of the amount of times he got hunger pains. He lost count of times he ran down the street, starving, fighting young alphas to snatch away the little meat of mostly unsuccessful hunting that was left for kids, only to bring them home to his sisters, watching them eat while he just... Well, _watched._

Because kids suffered the most. They came the very last. The working generation should've survived. Kids didn't benefit a dying pack. Kids were just more mouths to fill. It was a horrific thought, a sick ideology, an inhuman act, whatever you may call it – but it was the brutally honest truth.

That didn't mean Louis would sit around and watch his sisters starve and die. One dark, snowy night, one of those last ones, when storm shook their entire house, snow blocking the way and a drop of water freezing mid-drop, Louis transformed into his newly-developed wolf form in a desperate attempt to keep his sisters somehow warm. While lying on their blankets, covered by a fur quilt, trembling, Louis instantly thought: Even if it meant he'd tear his own flesh and feed it to his sisters, he'd do it, in order to keep them alive.

Two days after, now Louis recalled, his already crumbled world fell apart completely, burning into ashes, fading in the cold winter air.

Quite literally.

Two days after, midnight, after a harsh storm, rogues stormed into town like a hurricane – ten times worse than the storm the pack has just went through. They quickly spread in the town like plague, tearing everything apart, from clothes to wolves' flesh, hungry and cold and _insane._

Louis has ran out of house with his sisters and mum, because hiding was no use, and it was just the cowardice way to die, and her mum shifted into the brown wolf that she was, carrying Louis' four sisters on her back, while Louis watched covered her from behind. The plan was to run away – his father has said so, he's said that if rogues took the town, they have to run – but the plan was foiled when they were surrounded.

And what better than two omegas and four defenceless kids for a bunch of animals to feast on?

His mum has found an opening, telling Louis to run. _To run_. That _wasn't_ their plan, they were supposed to stay alive _together,_ not like... Not like _that._ Not like _turning his back_ on his mum, _running away_ with his tail between his legs, like a _coward._

But... He never was one to say no to his mum anyway.

So, he put his crying sisters and wounded mum behind, running and running and running, pain throbbing in his chest as he cut off his bond with his pack, before he could feel it snap by the death of his father. His heart ached, like it was filling with wolfsbane instead of blood, wind cruel on his fur, tears freezing on his fluffy cheeks, throat closed up and dry from grieving and the cold.

He didn't know how long he ran. From that point on, it was all just a blur of swirling snowflakes and hissing winds and constant thought of death. Until he finally passed out.

Point was, Louis has been through a lot to bear with some self-satisfied alpha kid with a stick up his bum who thought bullying is fun. Bullying didn't alarm Louis. If anything, it should alarm the one who was the bully.

Louis was strong enough to protect himself and four extra kids, so _of course_ he could throw a punch. Of course he could flash his teeth, of course he could scratch an alpha kid with his claws in the face.

If that made him a dysfunctional omega child, then so be it. Before being an omega, Louis was a _wolf._

And he wanted the Styles to know that before making a permanent decision.

Anne's reaction surprised him. She brushed his hair, and her nails lightly scratched back of his head in a very comforting gesture like before. "What happened to you and your pack is quite horrible Louis, and I'm so sorry you had to go through that." She smiled sadly at him. Louis felt the sting of tears, but he kept them back. _Later_. "But I need you to know that, you've been very brave, and you're here now, and I'm proud to know a wolf like you."

Louis slowly returned her smile, and he felt Gemma press her cheek to his shoulder.

Harry buried his face in Louis' tummy and purred.

Louis closed his eyes to stop the tears from falling.


	7. Family, Maybe Lost, Maybe Found

After an hour of cuddling on the couch, Gemma rushed to do her homework (which raised a new concern in Louis, because, _school,_ which he hadn't attended in almost a year), Anne went to make dinner for the four of them, asking Louis what he liked (since Desmond wasn't coming home, Gemma was okay with whatever and Harry didn't care), and Harry jumped in the kitchen right after her to help, which was a bit odd.  
  
So Louis walked in the guest room where he was staying, just to get familiar.  
  
The room smelled empty, unoccupied. Louis looked around. There was a single bed covered in simple white sheets on the left side, the floor was hardwood (like the rest of the house), the ceiling was also made of wood, the walls were simple white. On the right side of the room, opposite from where the bed was, there was an empty closet with a mirror on one of the doors, which reminded Louis that Anne had briefly mentioned that they'd go shopping for clothes and everything else for Louis eventually. There was a window facing the door, and on the right side of it, there was a desk and a chair.  
  
Louis pressed his lips together. The unoccupied room excited him; Something to call his own. He carefully closed the door, and closed his eyes, trying to remember what he's been taught in school about scenting a space. Then, he sighed, and thought of positive things. Only when he had his thoughts cleared from negative thoughts, he let himself loose.  
  
Slowly, his scent thickened, and like a breath let out, it expended in the space of the room. Louis thought of dinners with his family; How they used to laugh and enjoy the messy, loud little gathering. He thought of his friend, Stan; How they used to fight and climb over each other's head with Oli and Luke. He thought of spring; How he used to sneak away into the trees and lie on the grass, listening to birds chirping, feeling the forest around him moving, breathing. His thoughts shifted; He thought how Lottie's first word was 'boo', how Fizzy never liked tea with milk, how Daisy and Phoebe used to purr when he rubbed their back. He skipped the bitter times, he didn't need those here. Instead, he thought of positive things. Warm bath, warm food, the absolutely chaotic council room. Gemma and her protectiveness, Anne's kind, warm smile, and Harry.  
  
He chuckled. Outwardly. Harry was _something._ Wild messy curls all over the place, eyes alight with a hint of mischievousness, his bold nakedness. His love for sweets, the way he didn't recognise some words, the giddy, squeaky way he laughed. Louis loved making children laugh. Technically, he was children himself, but being the older brother of four, he had to grow up faster than time would provide him. Age was just a number anyway.  
  
Louis doesn't notice all that much, but his scent shifted to something much softer at the thought of Harry, covering the entire place in a warm, comfortable feeling.   
  
He let his wolf do his thing, and walked further into the room, taking his shirt and pants off. Once he was naked, he leaped on the bed, purring as he rolled around, scenting the sleeping place as his own, in an instinctive, territorial way that he hasn't scented the rest of the room with. After the entire bed smelled like him, he got up and put his clothes back on, and opened the closet to look inside it out of curiosity. He reached out with his hand, touching the soft wood, leaving his scent inside the closet as well. Then he closed its doors, walking towards the desk, inspecting it. It was a simple desk; A dark brown, wooden, with two drawers on the left, two shelves under them for books, a single shelf on the right for a CPU (which was empty), a sliding hutch, and Louis wondered whether they'd buy him a computer or not. But then, he shook his head. His stay in this room was most probably temporary.  
  
The sudden thought saddened him to no end. He _wanted_ to stay here. He didn't know why, exactly, but much like how he was attached to the pack so easily, he was attached to this place as well. Who was he kidding, he was already attached to the Styles.  
  
He sighed. He had a fair idea what this was. This was his wolf trying to fulfill his needs that has been strongly neglected. That was messing with his head.  
  
But it was true. Louis did need this. He just wasn't sure he'd be able to have it, so he wasn't letting himself hope.  
  
"Louis! Dinner is ready!" Gemma's voice called from downstairs, and Louis smiled. _Dinner._ He walked out of the room, closing the door after him, and rushing down the stairs. He found Harry in the kitchen, grinning, looking at the meal Anne was putting in the dishes. Apparently, since Louis has gotten weak, she's prepared soup, with grilled meat and a whole bowl of salad to go with it.  
  
Louis glared at the full bowl of hundred percent vegetable. Gemma caught his gaze, and chuckled. "Not a fan?"  
  
Louis sighed. "Listen, not to sound ungrateful or anything, because a few hours ago I'd probably see a bowl of salad in my dreams before death, but..." He left off and grimaced.  
  
Anne's reaction wasn't what he was expecting: She laughed.  
  
"I know Louis, believe me. But the bad news is, you gotta suck it up, big baby." She answered playfully, smirking at Louis in a very smug way, and Louis hung his head, huffing out a small laugh. He moved to the table and sat down, and Anne filled his plate with, well, _everything._  
  
Louis tried to keep composure and act like the well-behaved boy he was. But in front of him, Harry groaned after they were five minutes into the dinner.  
  
"Gosh, _come on_ ," He stared at Louis, exasperated. Louis stopped chewing. "I can _smell_ how hungry you are. Seriously? Who cares if you get food in your face? If you want to wolf it down, then do it!"  
  
Louis raised a brow, and slowly swallowed his mouthful, not taking his eyes off of Harry. Then, he smirked. "Did you just say 'wolf it down'?"  
  
Harry stared for a few moments, then he suddenly burst into a fit of giggles and laughter. Another pun. Harry seemed to like them. Louis leaned smugly back on his seat, and raised his brows at a slack-jawed Gemma. Anne watched the exchange silently, and smiled.  
  
Louis listened to Harry's advice, and smiled apologetically at Anne. "Sorry in advance, Anne. This is not gonna be a pretty sight."  
  
Anne chuckled. "Oh please, Louis. It's alright. I'm used to it."  
  
Gemma smirked. "How about we make this a competition? Whoever finishes faster wins."  
  
Anne frowned at that. "You're going to have an upset stomach."  
  
Louis shrugged. "With reasonable speed. And you guys cannot possibly go faster than me."  
  
Harry grinned, glint of excitement shining in his eyes. "Oh you're on."  
  
Gemma snorted. "Pipe down, Champion. Let's see who really wins."  
  
Louis rolled his eyes. "Oh please, Gemma, I don't think I'll see any Styles up there in the winner mark."  
  
Gemma filled her spoon, the competitive smirk on her face sharp. "We'll see about that, won't we?"  
  


* * *

  
  
"It was just because you were hungry."  
  
"Your argument is _invalid,_ Gemma. I won, because I've got one big tummy."  
  
"Zayn says omegas need lots of food."  
  
"You shouldn't trust whatever Zayn says, little bro."  
  
"Zayn also says that ginger tea is good for a sad stomach. And that's what mum is giving us, so."  
  
"I hope you mean an _upset_ stomach, Harold."  
  
"Whatever. Same thing."  
  


* * *

  
  
Anne sighed as she finally put the last dish away. Today has been such a rollercoaster. She made herself some tea, and as she waited for the kettle to heat the water, she turned to look at the three children lying on the couches in the living room, talking quietly as sleep slowly crept towards them.  
  
She watched as Louis slowly got up, and he stretched himself a bit, and then he turned to Anne.  
  
"Thank you for everything, Anne," He softly said. "I'll be going upstairs. Good night."  
  
Anne smiled, sensing the tiredness in the boy, which wasn't entirely physical. "Good night, Louis. If you needed anything, I'm just a door away."  
  
Louis chuckled and walked upstairs, waving goodbye at her.  
  
As the older omega poured herself tea, she wondered that Louis is holding himself together rather well.  
  
But, no matter what, Louis was simply a child. There was bound to be a breaking point.  
  
She was on the third sip of her tea when the scent around her shifted. The air slowly got tinted with such heavy sadness and longing, that even Anne felt like sitting down on the floor and weeping. She couldn't feel what Louis was feeling, because there wasn't a pack bond for her to focus on like she did with the rest of her pack and detect every emotion, but Louis' scent was naked and bare, raw in every way possible. She could feel it; The crushing sadness of losing all he's ever known, of losing his pack, of losing his family, of how harshly he's been treated in the past, of the lost sense of belonging, of home.  
  
Anne closed her eyes. She could feel Desmond questioning her sudden sadness through their bond. _'Des, we need to talk.'_ She softly whispered in her brain, into their bond.  
  
Quickly, Des switched tactics. _'About what?'_ He whispered back.  
  
_'Louis.'_ Was all Anne said.  
  
_'Ah,'_ Desmond said. _'Did you change your mind about him? He's not pack, I still can–'_  
  
_'Des, no.'_ Anne rolled her eyes. _'The sadness you just felt? It was his.'_  
  
There was a beat of silence, Then: _'Well, damn, that's harsh.'_  
  
Anne sipped her tea extra loud. Her husband was an idiot. _'Des, listen. I want him to stay with us.'_  
  
She felt Desmond thinking it over. _'Well, I mean, technically– Goddamn it, Peter.'_  
  
Anne laughed inwardly, sensing how Peter has messed up the order of Des' work when he's filed the reports that afternoon. _'Just kick him out.'_  
  
_'Not you too. Anne, seriously, you know I can't kick Grims out. He's always been good to me. Get the idea out of council's heads.'_  
  
_'Back to the subject.'_ Anne carefully said, not really replying to Des' request.  
  
_'Right. Like I was saying, since he has to look over Harry for now, it's only logical that he stays.'_  
  
_'Settled, then.'_ Anne concluded. _'Now get back to work. If you show up at morning, consider the front door locked.'_  
  
_'How very comforting.'_ Des mumbled and with a chuckle, they stopped conversing. The entire conversation, of course, took less than two minutes.  
  
Anne opened her mouth to call Gemma and Harry, but before a sound came out, Harry's voice was heard.  
  
"He's upset. Like, so badly upset." Harry pointed out, and Gemma quickly sat up from her lying position on the big couch and jumped to her feet. Even without using bond she had with her daughter, Anne could tell that Gemma was headed upstairs to Louis.  
  
"Gemma, wait." Anne softly called, and Gemma stopped in her tracks, looking over at her mother. Anne motioned her to come to her, and Gemma stole a glance at upstairs before walking in the kitchen, Harry quickly hot on her heal.  
  
"Gemma, Harry," Anne smiled. "Would you mind checking up on Louis?"  
  
Gemma huffed out a breath. "That's what I wanted to do just now."  
  
Anne chuckled. "I know, but I meant that not only now, but _from now on_."  
  
Harry quickly picked up on what she was trying to say. "He's staying?" He said, his eyes comically widening, eyebrows raising.  
  
Anne nodded. Gemma frowned. "Then, does that mean he's family now?"  
  
Anne wanted to answer, but Harry was faster. He tugged on Gemma's hand which he was holding, catching her attention. "He should be. He smells like family. He smells like pack. He _is_ pack."  
  
Gemma seemed satisfied with the answer, but Anne frowned slightly. She dismissed the thought quickly in favour of doing the task at hand. "Then, check up on him, yeah?" She softly asked, and Gemma nodded.  
  
Gemma walked out to rush upstairs, Harry going right after her, but Anne stopped Harry. "Baby, wait." Harry stopped in his tracks, looking at his mother with wide, curious eyes. Anne kneeled on the floor to get on his level and beckoned him over. Harry walked to Anne, and she held his small hands in hers.  
  
"Harry, baby, can I ask a question?" Harry nodded, and Anne smiled. "Why did you say that Louis smells like family? Is it because of scenting?"  
  
Harry softly shook his head. "No, not because of scenting." He softly said. "He smells like forest, like wood. Like how it smells like in spring. Like... Like home." He frowned and looked down. "He smells safe. He smells like family. Family is safe, right? He smells sad. Really sad. Even when he laughs, he's sad. That's weird, mum, how can he smell sad when he's happy?" Harry questioned, his green eyes bright and wide and curious and... Worried.  
  
Anne... Was rendered speechless.  
  
Harry wasn't done. "And he shouldn't be. He's family. Family shouldn't be sad. We do everything to keep family happy, right? He should be happy." Harry mumbled, and Anne stayed frozen for a few moments, before she smiled warmly and squeezed Harry's hands in hers.  
  
"That's right, Harry. He should be happy. Would you do your best to make sure he's happy?"  
  
Harry frowned in determination. "I will. I will make sure. That he's happy, that he's home."  
  
Anne nodded, and kissed Harry's cheeks quickly. "Chop chop, then. Gemma's waiting."  
  
Harry grinned and rushed out of kitchen, and Anne stood up.   
  
Harry was smart. Much smarter than he tended to show. Anne knew that. Just the fact that he simply memorised all the trivia Zayn used to blabber about on daily basis was proof that Harry was intelligent. However, still some things that he said, or the emotions he expressed surprised Anne. And now, Anne was surprised.  
  
Harry's wolf wasn't yet developed enough for him to detect the things he's picked up on. Like Louis' sadness, his longing for home, his need of family. Harry was oddly accepting of Louis. Originally, Anne has worried more about Harry than Gemma. Sure, Gemma was protective, but she wasn't a hotheaded territorial alpha that Harry could be. So, the fact that Harry was absolutely okay with letting Louis in their home – his home – was very confusing for Anne who's dealt with how Harry has spent fifteen minutes glaring at one of the pack betas who's came to their home to discuss a matter over tea. And that was before Harry threw a tantrum about his missing cookies that Anne has offered to the beta to eat with her tea. And this has been three days prior to Louis showing up.  
  
Anne sat at the kitchen table, silently sipping her tea and mulling over the matter. Today, however, Harry was suddenly very okay with Louis being here. He basically sat in Louis' arms, sprawled over his lap, even went protective over him when he was talking about how horrible things have been in his pack, and now he was worried over making sure Louis was happy.  
  
Harry was a kind-hearted child, and one would think maybe even soft for an alpha, considering he'd rather spend his time sitting and making flower crowns rather than causing riot like how alphas his age did, but when it came to his home, he was _absolutely_ protective. So, why was it different now?  
  
Maybe because Louis was Harry's age, and he was an omega, and Harry felt responsible. But that couldn't be it, Louis wasn't pack, not yet. But then again, that went _against_ what Harry has just said about Louis being family, pack.   
  
Anne shook her head. This was going nowhere. She has genuinely expected Harry to be more hostile about someone who's slapped him across the face ( _yes,_ Anne knew about that. Harry was her child, and she always watched him through their bond, of course she knew), but Harry was calling him family and pack and Anne didn't know what to think. Of course, she knew Louis' action was rather justified (Anne knew that when it came to clothing, Harry was a bit of a brat), and he certainly made up for it and Harry wasn't upset, so she didn't hold a grudge, but she had genuinely expected a rather different outcome. This wasn't it. And now she was very, very confused.  
  
The scent around her shifted to something more comfortable, a bit more calm, and Anne smiled. Louis has calmed down a bit. And, honestly? Anne was grateful that Harry hadn't been difficult. She did want Louis to stay. The child has been through a lot, and Anne could see the longing for safety and belonging in his eyes. Anne genuinely wanted to get to know him better. She wanted to know how tough he was; What was a child that has barely escaped the claws of death like? How did a child that has been forced by circumstances to push down his soft, young nature to protect his siblings react around children his age that weren't danger and threat to him? How would he fit in their pack dynamics?  
  
Anne wanted to know. And simply because of that, she smiled wider.  
  
Oh well. Harry _had_ to have gotten his curiosity from someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow. I'm rather going wild here. God this was fun to write. Seriously, writing from a child's point of view is only proven to be hard when you come back and write from an adult's point of view because, WOW WRITING ANNE WAS FUN!!!
> 
> I do imagine Anne being much like Harry, warm and kind and witty, but also cool like Gemma (Aka The Better Styles), so writing her was very very fun. Also, sorry the pace is a bit slow, but I do need build-up, so yeah.
> 
> And yeah, anyway, any and all feedback is very very appreciated. Stay safe Xx


	8. Tears Shed To Sunrise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **CHAPTER TRIGGER WARNING:** This chapter contains an emotional breakdown over the loss of family. Reader's caution is very advised. Take care xx
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to the angel that Johanna Deakin is. Bless her soul, because we all know she's always watching the light of the lives of many of us, as he sings of his pain and love for us. The world owes her one or too many to count.
> 
> Rest in peace, Jay.

Louis walked into his bedroom and softly shut the door. Too much, too much, _too much._ His breath rushed out of his lungs with a shudder that shook his whole body. He pressed his hand against his mouth to stop a sob, but he couldn't stop the pitiful whine that escaped him. Tears rushed to his eyes, and Louis' hand on the cool doorknob trembled. Three quick steps, and Louis crashed face-first on the bed and buried his face in his pillow. Then, he let his muffled sobs escape him.

He held out well during the dinner. It was fine, he saw that coming. What he _didn't_ see coming was the ginger tea.

Lottie never liked ginger tea, but she got stomach-ache a lot, and Louis' mum made ginger tea for her, which she'd always fight drinking. So, Louis once had this brilliant idea of going through the so-called torment with her and drink a cup of ginger tea himself, so he could make it easier for Lottie.

It worked.

But where was Lottie now to make it all easier for him?

Louis didn't want to think about it. His stomach turned at the mere thought of anything happening to his baby sisters.

Louis sacrificed it all, back then. His food and health and nature and he didn't have anything more to offer now. Why did he listen to his mum and ran? He should've stayed. But he was a coward, he _was._ He ran away and saved himself and God knew where his family was now.

His body curled on itself on the sheets, as Louis' mind wandered. Were they cold? Were they hungry? Were they lying in the snow? Walking? Running? Were they attacked by an animal, or, worse, by other wolves? He couldn't stop thinking. Now that saving his own life was out of priority, his mind wouldn't rest.

He started drawing air inside in gasps. He couldn't breathe. He turned and pulled his face out of the now soaked pillow. He felt himself getting torn apart. He sat and pulled his knees into his chest, hugging them tightly. Maybe that way, he'd fall apart slower. He buried his face in the space between arms and knees, feeling the tears running down his face.

It was so _pathetic._ He's ran and saved himself, but once again, he didn't belong. He _didn't._ The Styles didn't want him.

The thought pierced through his chest like a knife. _They didn't want him._ Of course they didn't. Why would they? He was a coward who left his family to an unknown fate just for his personal survival. He wasn't worthy enough for a family like the Styles. They took such good care of each other and other people, and what did _Louis_ do? Left his own to go towards an unknown fate.

His fingers wrapped around his own arm in a vice grip, and he felt his nails digging into his flesh. The thought of being unwanted was horrifying to his wolf; He was panicking.

He was broken out of his temporary trance, when he heard a knock on his door.

His head snapped up. _Oh no._

His mind has gone paranoid. _'That's it. they want to kick me out. This is it. I caused too much trouble–'_

"Louis?" Gemma's voice came muffled through the door.

Louis harshly wiped away his tears. They didn't stop. He wiped, and they'd be replaced with more. 

"Y-Yes?" His voice trembled so bad that the words were almost unintelligible. 

"Can I... come in?" Gemma asked, and the doorknob was already turning.

Louis hiccupped. He's given up on stopping his tears, or sobs. "You c-can."

The door opened softly, and the dim light of hallway spilled inside. Louis just realised that he's been sitting on his – _no, not his_ – bed in complete darkness.

Louis unconsciously cowered a bit towards the headboard, but the faint scent that Gemma was emitting was a safe, yet worried kind of smell. Louis' back muscles relaxed.

Gemma walked in, talking slow yet steady steps towards the bed. Louis felt like he's counting each step; Looking for that one moment when, like everything else in his life, something snaps and everything goes to hell.

Gemma's knees touched the bed. Nothing has gone to hell yet.

Louis stared at where Gemma's knees were touching the edge of the mattress. It felt important, where Gemma was touching the bed. Louis felt like it mattered.

Gemma slowly crouched down, and Louis jumped. But Gemma's scent thickened around him protectively, and so Louis didn't protest when Gemma sat next to him on the bed.

There was deafening silence filled by stressed signals that Louis kept emitting, and calming signals that Gemma sent to calm both their nerves the best she could. She's tried very hard in school to learn it the best way she could, because this was her nature; Alphas' tempers snapped fast and they'd lose straight thinking, and omegas' protective emotions and nature got in their way of decision-making, meaning betas like Gemma were there to keep a cool head and make sure nothing was on fire. 

In other words, calming people was in Gemma's blood. So, she'd be damned if Louis was scared of her.

Gemma kept thinking calming thoughts, so she could keep her scent empty of anything that could stress Louis further. Louis was staring down, at where her hand was placed on the blanket, close to his thigh. A thousand scenarios ran around his head about what that hand could possibly do. Many of them weren't pleasant.

In the back of his mind, Louis knew Gemma wasn't a threat. He knew Gemma isn't threatening him. But he still felt threatened anyway. The mere confusion caused Louis' eyes to water anew. Before he could do anything about it, tears were running down his face.

It took Gemma every ounce of strength to not panic.

"Louis?" She softly asked. She had a feeling that she should talk. "What's wrong?"

Hearing Gemma's voice made Louis sob. _'Don't tell me to leave.'_

That's not what he said, of course.

"I'm– My brain is all– Just, y-you know, it's n-not working a-anymore–" Was all Louis forced out before he started sobbing nonstop.

"Oh Louis." Gemma's own eyes threatened to water. Gemma wasn't dumb; Louis was a only bit younger than her, yet he's gone through so much grief that his emotions were all over the place. Gemma wrapped her arms tightly around a shivering Louis who struggled to get out of the embrace, and pressed her lips together.

How terrified he must've been? How much it's cost him to keep up the bravado? How emotionally damaged he really was? He was a kid, yet he's abandoned all that childhood peace by force to survive in a brutal place where he'd sit in the fear of, what, one of his alpha friends break in and try to _hunt_ his sisters out of starvation? How he could've possibly kept going while he knew his family were probably gone, what had he clung to? How harsh it must've been for him now to know that he's safe, fed, warm and his family – the younger sisters he's sacrificed his childhood for, the mother he hasn't troubled so she could keep doing her job – weren't? 

Gemma rubbed Louis' back which was shaking under the force of his pained sobs and the grief he carried, and Gemma didn't have much to give. She'd always thought that there's always something to offer to someone who's lost something.

But there was nothing you could give to someone who's lost everything.

Gemma found her hands empty. Money and food and books and toys and friends, peace and calm and love and warmth, she had them all. She could offer them all to Louis. Heck, she could even offer a family to Louis. She had one. 

But what Louis has lost was all of those and more.

Somewhere along the lines, he's been stripped bare of himself as well.

And Gemma suddenly realised that there's nothing the hands of a ghost can keep.

She couldn't offer a thing to the broken Louis. She couldn't offer a thing to the boy who was falling apart in her arms. Because he's lost something that no one could fill its space for him, maybe not even himself.

But Gemma could only hope. She'd offer him many things that she had, in hope of them helping him to slowly build himself back up again.

"We should go shopping one of these days," She mumbled softly, after Louis has calmed down a bit. "This room feels a bit dull. I'll tag along. I wonder, y'know. Which books do you like? Do you like plants in your room? How do you dress? You better let me make sure you've made the right choices in clothing, you know. I can't let my family name down, Tomlinson." Louis breathing was more evened out. Gemma figured that blabbering has distracted Louis, so she kept on talking about everything and nothing. "We gotta fill that closet of yours. I don't think we can afford a computer yet, we have to go to the city for that one anyway, so crash in my room to use mine whenever you felt like it. You probably need plenty of notebooks too, and school books. But please, let's not tell Zayn we're going shopping. He'll drag you to every library possible. I can't afford that. Perrie neither. They're both nerds. Forget them, we're the cool kids. God, there are so many people you gotta meet."

Louis sniffed against Gemma's shoulder. "M-My room?" He softly asked. Gemma smiled against his shoulder.

"Yup. Yours. 'Cause you're staying here." Gemma said, and Louis froze.

Louis' eyes stung with tears again. "I... I am?" He whispered, his voice to hoarse to really work, and Gemma hugged him tighter.

"Yes you are. I didn't let you touch my couch for you to leave anyway." Gemma teased lightly, and Louis chuckled wetly against her shoulder.

"Sorry about the couch." He mumbled, closing his eyes, letting Gemma's scent calm him.

"Eh, it's fine. Make up for it by letting me get rid of Harry." Gemma all but mumbles, and Louis smiles against her shoulder.

"Hey, I heard that." Harry's voice was suddenly heard, and Louis' eyes snapped open. He was standing in the doorway, light blonde curls a mess under the warm light of hallway, and Louis didn't know how to feel. He hugged Gemma tighter a bit, in a hopeless attempt to hide himself from Harry. He didn't know why, he just didn't want Harry to see him like this. Probably because Harry was young, he didn't understand. Louis prayed that he never does.

Harry walked in, small feet padding across the wooden floor, and walked straight towards the bed. He jumped up on it, face set in a very serious expression, like he's been concentrating on something very hard. He settled himself at the center of the bed, and huffed out a breath, then started tugging on Louis' sleeve.

Louis sniffed and slowly separated himself from Gemma's now very welcome embrace, and blinked at Harry, who was frowning slightly.

There was a few moments of silence, like everything's been paused. Then–

"They're okay." Harry blurted out, simple, and Louis' eyes widened, waterworks starting again. He stared at Harry's expression turning softer, yet still serious, through the blur of tears. "They're your mum and your sisters, yeah? They're okay. 'Coz they're like you. If you could not-die, so they can." Harry said like it's that simple, and Louis started shaking his head.

Harry's hands snapped forward and gripped his face, keeping it from moving. "No no, stop. She's _your_ mum, they're _your_ sisters, they're _fine_." His voice shook at the end. Louis couldn't see his face through the tears anymore, he had no idea why his voice is shaking. A part of him didn't care. "They _have_ to be."

Louis sobbed, again, his chest exploding in pain. He's cried too much. Harry wasn't done. "They have to be. 'Coz they gotta be back, and they gotta _thank you,_ coz mum says that's what good siblings do. Mum says if Gemma gives me something, I gotta thank her. You gave them a lot, they'd be bad, _bad_ siblings if they didn't thank you."

Louis shook his head despite Harry's grip. "N-No, t-they were g-good–"

"Then they'll be alive! Good siblings thank their siblings!" Harry exclaimed rather loudly, his voice shaking completely. He surged forward and hugged Louis, and Louis' hands were shaking too much to hug him back or stop him from hugging him.

"And your mum is alive..." Harry's soft, shaking voice was such a big contrast to Louis' loud, harsh sobs. "Because she has to see you again. And she'll kiss your face, and she'll tell you how proud she is."

Louis broke.

"Because you're the best, best, best son, Louis."

The words were like glass shattering in Louis' chest. The thousand shards tore through flesh and blood and they stung, they stung _so bad,_ and the sound that came out of Louis wasn't human anymore. He was bleeding inside, the pain in him snapping, releasing, and it felt like the dam of his emotions was broken. Louis let out his loudest sobs, cried, wailed, whined, thrashed and kicked and dug his fingernails in the bedsheets and Harry's shirt, and he _screamed_ until his voice was gone, until he felt like he's ran out of tears, until he felt completely numb. until the clock downstairs hit two in the morning, until Anne put her fifth cup of tea down, and finally got up from the couch.

She walked upstairs, taking careful steps towards where was now Louis' bedroom door. She peeked inside, and the scene she saw broke her heart.

Sometime in the night, among his cries, Louis has lied down on his side. Harry was pressed against his front, hugging him around the neck, and Gemma was pressed against Louis' back, her arms wrapped protectively around his torso, and they were nestled like that on the bed. Louis was staring blankly through half-lidded eyes at the nonexistent distant, tears still finding their way out of his eyes, but he's finally gone silent, the only sound coming out of him being his slow or rushed breaths, and small whines at the back of his throat every few moments. Harry was sniffing loudly, hugging Louis for dear life. And Gemma was silently crying softly – _God bless her calmness and soul,_ Anne thought. 

Louis slowly blinked, and his gaze slipped towards Anne, staying on her. Anne looked at those lifeless eyes, and she shivered. It was a terrifying look on a child. Anne has seen people with the same look on their faces before; Desmond had a similar look when his mother passed away. People she's seen that had lost their families wore the same look. But Louis' was more than that; His eyes were empty, because he was stripped bare of it all. He had nothing.

And, for once in her life, Anne felt genuinely grateful that this pack had so much to offer. They couldn't give him everything, but they could give him _something._

And Anne? She wanted to give this child all. He _deserved_ it all. And she felt Desmond agreeing. Good, then.

It seemed like Harry agreed as well. As if he's read their thoughts. It couldn't be that, since his wolf wasn't there yet. But they definitely shared the same sentiment. Because Harry spoke again.

"But until then..." He whispered, softly, like a secret, and Anne smiled sadly. It seemed like her little Harry was much more grown up than she's noticed. "Until then, you'll have us. Mum, Gems, dad, me."

And Anne saw it. Louis' eyes filled with tears again, and he closed them, but before they were shut, Anne thought that she's seen it; A light that wasn't there before.

Harry shuffled around, somehow hugging Louis tighter, and he slowly closed his tired eyes. "We'll be a family, us. I'll piss you off, annoy you, chew off your toes, coz Nick says that's gon' hurt, and pull your hair out, and put my socks on your pillow. I'll annoy you so bad that you scream like Gems, and then I'll tell you her blackest secrets. And Gems will take you places to ask you which shirt looks better on her, and choose what she likes anyway, coz Gemma doesn't care. She told me so. And mum will make you cookies and tea and she'll scold you coz you can't come inside with muddy feet, and she'll help you if you can't do math. Coz math's hard." He sniffed, and Anne wiped away her own tears. He sounded so serious, and he was, and Anne's insides softened. His words were so genuine. They were all the small things that a family shared that made them that; A family.

She walked towards the bed, and sat down, turning her own scent into a lulling calm. "I will. And I'll try my best, Louis. Did you tell him that I sing lullabies too, Harry?"

Gemma snorted. "Oh yeah. 'Cause you gotta know, Louis, Harry's a baby who can't sleep without lullabies." She softly mumbled, and Harry groaned.

Louis breathed a few times. "There's nothing wrong with lullabies. I like them." His voice was hoarse and harsh, almost gone. Even his whispers sounded broken.

Gemma huffed. "Stories are better. Bedtime stories. Because books are best."

"You sound like Zayn." Harry pouted, and Anne brushed his sweaty hair out of his face. 

Gemma frowned. "Cause Zayn's my friend."

"No, Taylor's your friend. Zayn's mine." Harry frowned back, but his scent didn't shift much. Anne suddenly realised that Harry's faint scent was so calm she hadn't noticed it until there was a spike in it; It was a sad, yet comforting scent.

Louis sniffed. "Technically, he's mine, cause you don't read as much books as him to be on his level." He replied wetly, and Anne slowly covered them all under a soft blanket that has been folded at the end of the bed. 

"So, lullabies, or stories?" She asked softly as she settled under the blanket herself. Harry and Gemma didn't say anything, leaving it up to Louis. Louis didn't make a decision for a few minutes.

"Lullabies, please." He softly whispered, and that was that.

Anne touched their hairs softly every few moments as she sang softly, brushing them with her hand. Gemma's hair was soft, yet she had thick hair strands. Harry's was a bit harsh, mostly because it was sweaty. And Louis. His hair was feathery soft, so delicate under the touch, almost silky. Anne has instantly liked it when she's touched it earlier during scenting, and now she ran her fingers freely through it. She sadly wondered; _Did Louis' mother love his hair too?_ She must've adored her son. She must've loved the little mischievous glint that was always present in his eyes, maybe he's even taken it from her.

And Anne... She strived to meet this woman. She wanted to meet her, and thank her on behalf of all mothers on the face of this earth, for giving birth and growing up such a strong child. And, much like Harry, she believed she would. There was no way that the mother of such a strong child would succumb to death so easily.

Anne smirked a bit. Of course, she could see it; She's noticed that Louis had a bit of a bite. She wouldn't be surprised if his mother was the same. That woman has probably spat death in the face. 

But until then, she had a responsibility. She had to treat and raise Louis right, making sure he had everything. So when she'd meet her, she'd be sure that she's treated her angel of a child right. Wherever and whenever that meeting might be.

Anne stayed up until morning, alongside Louis. He didn't stop crying until sun slowly appeared in the horizon. She kept brushing his hair and softly singing to him. Slowly, his tears exhausted themselves. He stopped crying, and his eyelids fell shut, his breathing evening out, albeit with a lot of sniffing. Anne didn't have the heart to tell him to separate himself from the tight cocoon of Harry and Gemma to wash his face, so she didn't. She suspected that he'd probably sleep like a rock until noon, or wake up with a nightmare. Either way, Anne would be there.

Before Anne's own eyes fell closed, she heard the fron door clicking, but not opening. She heard the knob turn a few times, and then she heard a loud groan. She chuckled.

Bold of Desmond to assume she'd forget to lock the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, okay.
> 
> Not gonna lie, I cried. I'm sorry, that sounds dumb, crying to my own story, but I just... You know. I know this is not a tearjerker, but hey, I wrote it from heart.
> 
> This was in no way a filler. Don't look for it, cause it ain't as obvious as you think, but I planted a few foreshadowing in there, and I've set the ground for some very vital character growth. So I dare you to think of this as a filler. It isn't.
> 
> And, WOAH Y'ALL, A HUNDERD KUDOS? THAT'S INSANE! This little monster has less than ten chapters, How– Why– THANK YOU.
> 
> Also, Goddamn it, THE COMMENTS. Guys, guys, guys. Your comments just, wow. WOW. You have no idea how happy they make me. Thank you. Thank you so so so much. 
> 
> Y'all are spoiling me. Damn it. *wipes tears*
> 
> But no seriously, thank you all so much. This is amazing. YOU'RE amazing.
> 
> So uh... Next chapter's gonna be a bit on a brighter side. Basically, Louis will be officially pack, he'll meet people, they'll go shopping, and... Oh yeah! That's like, all that there's to it! *Sweats nervously*
> 
> Haha, nice talking to y'all! But would you LOOK at the time, it's I've-gotta-go o'clock! See ya! Xx
> 
> *runs out the door*
> 
> EDIT: Woah woah woah, wait all y'all. I just noticed that I've posted this chapter on Jan 28th, and also this has 28 bookmarks. My stars are aligning. God bless this day.


	9. Baby Steps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a heads-up: Before you guys come and hit me in the comments, I have to mention that this chapter is basically full of a small bit of how biology works in my Werewolf universe. Beware. It's long, and for further explanation, read the chapter end notes.

Desmond was making himself some extra warm tea (to make up for the time he's spent out in the snow, no thanks to Anne) in the kitchen when someone joined him.

The boy with brown, messy hair and blue, tired eyes walked into the kitchen, dragging his feet. It must've been the lack of sleep that made him not notice Desmond immediately.

When he did, however, he almost jumped out of his own skin. "Alpha Desmond!" He gasped, a hand flying to rest on his chest, clutching his t-shirt slightly. "You scared me."

Desmond smiled. "Sorry, Louis, I just managed to get inside."

Louis huffed out a breath and walked further inside the kitchen, standing next to Desmond, watching the flame that warmed the kettle absentmindedly. "How come?" 

Desmond chuckled. "Well, apparently, Anne has locked me out because I decided to arrive at sunrise." He shook his head. Next to him, Louis was slightly amused. "Honestly, there's no winning with this woman. Screw the pack, she has her own rules and plays by them. Makes you wonder if I'm actually just a front man, while she's doing all the job."

This time, Louis actually chuckled, his smell around them turning into a light amusement, from how heavy and rough it had been before. The kettle started whistling, and Desmond picked two cups and set them on the counter. Louis wrapped his hands around one, blue eyes glinting with mischief. "Are you the front man though, alpha Desmond?"

Desmond poured himself tea, and then poured Louis some, setting the kettle down. He took a few sips from the steaming hot tea, thinking and mulling the question over, before he sighed.

"Sometimes, it certainly does feel like that I am." He softly admitted, and Louis looked at him with newfound interest. "Anne is a very capable Luna. She rarely, if ever, requires any assistant in any of her duties. Not only that, but her words actually have more effect on the pack members than mine." Then, he shrugged. "Not that I mind any, really."

Louis nodded, sipping his own tea. "A good Luna is the secret of a healthy pack, or so I've learned." He simply stated, remembering how things were in their pack before it all went to hell.

Desmond stared at Louis for a long moment. Then he turned around as the toaster clicked, and brought out a hot toast, biting into it. He stared thoughtfully at how Louis turned so he was facing him, leaning back against the counter, calmly sipping tea.

_'Lesson one: Never turn your back to a pack Alpha, to show him that you respect him.'_ Yeah, Desmond definitely remembered learning that in school. That was more of a diplomatic move, one which every wolf followed.

"Breakfast?" Desmond asked. _He looks older than what his actual age is._

Louis blinked. "No thank you. I'm not really hungry." He sighed. "I'll never be one to say no to tea, but I'm really not excited about anything else going to my stomach right now. Feels like it'll come right back up, and I wanna save myself the trouble."

Louis was polite, Desmond figured. Sure, he had a bit of a bite, but never impolite, at least not with Desmond. He seemed to choose his words carefully, and he seemed pretty well educated, if his choice of words were anything to go by. As Desmond has thought, he really did look older than his age. Desmond wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Not that he could change anything about it.

"What else did _you_ learn, Louis?" Desmond asked, and Louis raised a perfect brow at him. Desmond rephrased his question a bit differently. "Say, if you were a pack Luna, what would you do?"

At that, Louis let out a heartfelt laugh. "Me, alpha Desmond? A pack Luna?" He shook his head. "Not likely, no. I mean, the thought is a pretty sight," He sighed, again. He seemed to sigh a lot. "but I'm not cut out for it. Too big of a responsibility, and I'm not really sure I'm a good example for _any_ wolf to be a pack Luna."

Desmond hummed, and took another bite of his toast. "Enlighten me, then, about how you're not cut out for it."

Louis broke eye contact with Desmond, staring stubbornly at his tea. "Small things, I can take care of. This or that or something that can be done and over with quickly. But a full time duty as a pack Luna? It's just not me." He shrugged. "At least, I can't imagine myself in that role." Then, he seemed to think for a minute. "But," He looked back up at Desmond. "That really didn't answer your question, did it?"

Desmond chuckled and shook his head, making Louis sigh, once again. The young omega finished his tea, turning around to wash his cup in the sink. "You asked what I would do if I was a pack Luna, but that's a very difficult question, since I can't see myself be one. But... If I had to answer..." Louis watched the running water washing the foam of the sponge he's used to wash his cup away. "I'd... Probably make sure the pack Alpha keeps a clear head and doesn't set anything on fire." He raised a brow at Desmond, going for the obvious joke of alphas setting stuff on fire, and Desmond laughed.

"And," Louis said with a small smile. "I'll make sure that everyone, especially children, are safe. And that no one is treated with injustice. Everything should be as fair as it can get." 

Desmond watched as the omega put the now clean cup away, and dried his hands messily with his shirt, looking at the floor, shifting on his feet. "And..." His voice shook. "And I'll make sure that no one is hungry. Or homeless. Ever. You know. That's also... Important."

Desmond looked at the boy in front of him. "Of course it is." He softly said, eating the last piece of his toast. Then he put his empty cup in the sink, and rubbed his hand to get rid of toast crump.

"You're not washing that?" Louis said, and there it was, the familiar bite in his words. Subtle, but there. Demanding and sharp and oddly satisfying to hear. Desmond smiled.

"Is there anything wrong with that?" He asked with a smile, back facing Louis. The boy behind him scoffed.

"No, not really. It's a fault on my part, actually. I didn't take you for a lazy alpha. I should've known better, I'm sorry." Louis said, obviously sarcastic, and Desmond barely contained his laughter. That straightforwardness reminded him of Harry. That kid was blunt as hell, no thanks to Gemma.

"I'm washing that. In the meantime, you can change. We're going out." Desmond said and picked up his cup, turning the tap on.

"I love being right." Louis said lightly, ignoring Desmond's demand completely as he walked out the kitchen. Nonetheless, when Desmond has changed himself and came back downstairs, Louis was standing by the door, changed and rather tidied up, with his messy hair now clean and brushed, and the smell of soup mixing with his natural scent. Desmond stopped in his tracks and raised a single brow at the boy. Louis looked up, and grinned.

"Oh please, I was totally planning on going for a walk myself." He said as he opened the door and walked out. This time, Desmond did laugh, Louis chuckling ahead of him.

Upstairs, Anne woke up with a start, smiling to herself at the sound of the boy and his mate laughing.

She sighed. Louis' done well. Getting Desmond to like someone wasn't easy, much less making him laugh. Louis was already a champion.

* * *

Desmond learned quite early that Louis was a chatty little lad.

"And you'd think that they would go for the obvious option of closing the channel, but _no!_ They had to _flood_ the whole thing!" Louis exclaimed.

He was also the one to state his opinion openly. Like, how, right now, he was utterly pissed at the emergency that has required Desmond's attention. Long story short, the channel that led the river's water inside the town has overflown in the morning when they've moved the ice out of the way, and has flooded one of the small food storages, ruining a good few items of food.

And Louis was absolutely fuming, in Desmond's place. "The water has washed away the _entire_ dairy section, which, oh by the way, is used for _babies_ when their parents go out for the hunting season! We're days away from the peak of winter, _days,_ the hunting groups are out, children are left with sitters, and what do they need? The milk you just let to go to _waste_!" Louis growled towards the very surprised, very shocked, very frozen working staff that were responsible for the channel. Apart from the fact that a kid was scolding them, they were also very confused as why the Alpha was letting him do so freely.

Desmond was surprised they couldn't figure out why. Louis was _right;_ With children left with sitters, they needed as much as milk as possible. For younger newborns more than other toddlers, but they needed the dairy products nonetheless. And Desmond agreed with Louis on all his points; These fools should've closed the channel when they saw the water rushing. Instead, they've waited to see what would happen. Well, this had happened.

Desmond sighed, the sound coming out rough like a growl. The pack members standing sheepishly in front of him flinched.

"Now that the channel is closed, clean this place up, make sure nothing else is ruined by water. Report the exact amount of damage to me immediately, and do not open the channel without checking with Peter first." He turned around, looking at his pack Theta. "Peter, keep a watch on them."

Peter nodded. "Got it." And as Desmond walked out, Louis right behind him, he raised a brow curiously before he turned towards the people standing there. "Hurry up, idiots! Let's clean this up!"

Desmond walked towards the mansion, Louis walking beside him, both of them enjoying the comforting silence.

Eventually, Louis broke the silence. "I hope I didn't overstep." He softly said, and Desmond shook his head.

"No, you didn't. If anything, you saved the trouble of me going on a rant and punching someone for flooding the storage in winter. No matter how small the storage is, we still keep items in there. And they just flooded that because of sheer idiocy." Desmond responded.

Louis huffed out a breath. "True words, really." He paused. "So, uh, I wanted to ask earlier, but you were called to the situation..." Desmond eyed the boy curiously. "Um, what happens now? I mean, with me."

His eyes were unsure, so Desmond smiled, hoping that'd be comforting. "Do you know how someone not born in a pack becomes a pack member, Louis?"

Louis nodded. "Vaguely. I haven't seen it happening, not that it happened in my previous pack, but... I've heard of it."

Desmond walked in the mansion, Louis trailing right behind. "Well, first, you have to know how a pack dynamic works. See, packs are usually formed from a family. The reason why rouge pack dynamics don't work out is that there usually _isn't_ a family; They don't form one." Louis nodded to show he understands, and Desmond walked towards a set of stairs. "When a family is formed as a separate pack, and by that I mean once the two starting members no longer belong to a pack, the alpha of the family who'll be the father of the children becomes the Alpha. The reason why betas or omegas can't become one is not because of some messed up superiority complex like how some packs define, it's because they simply do not produce a specific hormone. The same hormone that is transferred through a mating bite, by the way. Do you know of that?" Desmond asked.

Louis racked his brain, trying to find what Desmond was talking about. _Yeah, there was a hormone._

So he nodded.

The stairs ended, and they walked into a hallway, as Desmond continued. "There are actually a couple of hormones that are transferred that way, through saliva, however I'm going to focus on the one that is commonly called 'The bond hormone'."

Suddenly, the name clicked. Desmond opened a door to a rather big room, and Louis looked up. "That one? Isn't that for mating, though?"

Desmond chuckled. "It is. But, quite frankly, it depends on were the bite is placed, and by who. If it's a scenting gland on the neck that's been bitten, that's a mating bond." Desmond walked further in the room, towards a desk, and opened a drawer, holding eye contact with Louis. "If it's a scenting gland on the wrist that's been bitten, however, now that's a different story."

Louis frowned. "Let me guess, that forms a pack bond."

Desmond nodded, as he closed the drawer, bringing a plastic sheet and a pack of tissues, and placed them on the floor – on the fluffy rug that looked awfully comfortable to roll around on, Louis noticed. He unfolded the sheet and threw it on the ground, then put the tissues next to it. He walked towards a small fridge, and brought out a bottle that looked like it had milk in it.

"That's correct. It forms a pack bond. The biological reason is a long one, so I'll just give you the short version." He sat down next to the sheet, gesturing at Louis to join him. Louis sat down in front of him, his knees barely touching the plastic sheet. "Sorry this place is a bit messy"

"That's alright." Louis assured, "I'm listening." He urged, and Desmond smiled.

"So," Desmond began. "The way the scenting gland on the neck works is different from the one on the wrist. The one on the wrist is developed at birth, while the one on the neck develops fully after puberty. That's why the way of working differs. Naturally, when a pack bond is formed with a beta or omega, the child that'll grow in the womb will naturally inherit the pack hormones that the mother produces, since they share the blood, and the child's body simply produces the same hormone that the mother's body produces based on the kind of hormone that the body has received from the pack Alpha. Every pack Alpha produces a unique hormone, and once that hormone is placed in a scenting gland, it kick starts the production of another hormone in the receiver's body, bonding the wolves as a result." Desmond paused. "Oh I'm sorry, I went out of control there, um... Are you following?"

Louis suddenly laughed, throwing his head back. "Alpha Desmond, for some odd reason, you worrying about going wild on infotmation is funny." The young boy said between giggles, and Desmond scoffed.

"Oh shut up." He mumbled, but Louis heard nonetheless and it startled another fit of laughter out of him. Desmond was glad he's not offended.

After he was done, he cleared his throat. "Yes, I'm following. Please continue."

"Right, so," Desmond said, relieved. "It works the same in a pack. The pack members are either from the family of my ancestors, or they've been bonded with the pack by the Alpha, having the same result. They all produce the same unique hormone here, like how I do, except that I also produce the source hormone."

"Wait no hold on," Louis rushed out, and Desmond raised a brow. "I have a question."

Desmond immediately held up a hand. "Nope, hold it, I'm not going into the complicated hormone system of wolves. Spare me. Ask Zayn if you're curious."

Louis chuckled. "He really is a bookworm."

Desmond sighed. "That he is." Then, he looked at Louis sternly this time. "So, you know what's going to happen here?"

Louis nodded, rolling his sleeve up to reveal his wrist. He looked at it for a few moments, and took a deep breath.

Suddenly, this felt _huge._

"So," He mumbled. "There's not a pack hormone being made in my body right now, is there?"

"No." Desmond answered softly. "Which is why there are a few warnings. Production of a new pack hormone can mess a bit with your system. I suppose you haven't felt it when the bond was broken, but once you break a pack bond, the production of the pack hormone stops. Your body has probably passed the deprivation stage, and is now more stable. Once another pack hormone starts producing, you'll probably feel nauseas, dizziness, headaches, soreness, or general weakness. Also, if you got moody or your wolf started acting weird, don't worry. Give it time, it's all natural."

Louis nodded, and offered his wrist. Desmond softly took it, and held his arm steady. He looked at it, then brought it closer to his nose, sniffing softly. "Here." He whispered, and Louis guessed that he's found the gland.

There was a soft knock on the door.

Desmond softly made a rumbling sound of annoyance since he was interrupted, but answered the knocking anyway. "Come in."

Louis turned and looked at the door as it softly opened, revealing a very naked, very curly Harry.

"Dad?" He softly asked, standing in the doorway, unsure. Desmond smiled.

"Come on in, Harry." He softly said, although Louis could feel his scent having a small spike of annoyance.

Harry grinned and softly closed the door, then ran in the room, sitting next to Louis. The young omega glared. "Where's your shirt? And pants?"

Harry gave him a toothy smile. "Good morning to you too, _Lewis_." Then he put a hand under his chin, resting his elbow on his knee. "They're back at home. Too tired to come with me."

Louis rolled his eyes and hissed at Harry. God, this child was making his day miserable already. "Once I'm done here, you're gonna regret this."

Harry completely ignored his comment, facing his father with curiousity instead. "Dad, what are you doing here?"

Desmond smiled. "I'm making Louis pack."

Harry's face lit up like a Christmas tree. Louis scoffed. "Really! Great! That's _so_ cool, dad! Whatcha gonna do?"

Desmond showed Louis wrist to Harry. "I'm gonna bite his wrist."

Harry gasped dramatically. Louis gave him a blank look. "Oh no! That's gonna hurt, no?"

Desmond nodded. "It will, but then it'll get better."

Harry looked at Desmond with doe eyes. "How do we help it get better?"

_God, Desmond was so fucking fond of his son._ "Well, we'll give him milk. It's nutritious, it also calms his body down and soothes him. He'll be fine."

Harry suddenly frowned. "What's nut– nut–"

Louis almost face-palmed. "Harry, love, it's _nutritious,_ and it means it has lots of goodies for body in it."

Harry nodded. "Oh. Right." Then he frowned even more, looking at Desmond now. "Is that the reason it's so bad that the storage is all wet now?"

Desmond sighed. "Yes. How did you see that?"

Harry shrugged. "I asked Niall where you went, and he said the small storage next to the channel. Perrie was there, with Gems, and she told me that you came here. Zayn also said he's heard you. I thought you are in the library, you know? So I went there. But Zayn was alone. He said I should come here."

Desmond nodded. "Great. Now, can I get to work?" He said a bit dismissively.

Harry jumped a little and nodded back. "Right. 'M sorry, go on."

Desmond smiled, and looked back at Louis. "Ready?"

Louis almost held his breath. He nodded.

"Calm yourself, Louis." Desmond mumbled. Louis frowned. Because, _yeah totally, it's not like I'm committing to a life-changing decision or anything._ Louis racked his brain for a way to calm himself, but came up with nothing. Everything seemed to have a bit of stress in it for him (he was just realising that, yeah), and he didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, there was a touch on his knee. His eyes darted to the small hand resting there, and then to Harry, who's placed his hand there. Harry patted his knee once. 

"It's okay, y'know. It's probably gonna hurt, but then we'll go shopping. And you'll have milk, lots and lots of it. You'll be fine." Harry softly said, and Louis' mind zeroed on that.

Right. _Harry._ Innocent green eyes, messy curls and sweet dimples. Smiling face and curious gaze and pure. Pure, pure, so pure and free, unlike how Louis was chained to a haunted past and scarred from a fate he didn't choose. Louis and icy sharp words, Harry and the flowers he's put in the kitchen. Louis and his stinging words, Harry and his soft voice. Louis and his smirks, Harry and his smiles. 

There was a sharp, sudden pain in Louis' wrist. He flinched, and folded on himself a bit. His small effort to pull his wrist back was useless; Desmond's grip was steady. Louis heard a sound of something dripping, and his gaze darted towards the plastic sheet.

There were a few drops of blood there.

Oh God, Louis was going to be sick.

The hand on his knee starts caressing his thigh gently, as Desmond channelled his scent towards Louis in a comforting one.

Louis' eyes were blurry as he moved them back on Harry, whose eyes were flashing vibrant green, a soft glow in them, his smile never leaving his face.

Desmond retrieved his teeth, Louis letting out a small _'Ah!'_ as the open wound began bleeding freely, but Desmond stopped the running blood with a quick lick, effectively ending the horrifying part of the process for Louis.

Louis looked at the slowly healing trace of fangs on his wrist; It'd probably leave a mark for a few days, but the actual wound would close eventually.

Desmond reached for the tissues, which Harry rushed to hand them to him, and used one to clean the wound up, as he threw a few other on the plastic sheet to dry it up a bit, before washing it later, probably. He covered the omega's wrist with the tissues, and put it on his lap.

"Hold your hand over it, we don't want the wound to open. We'll wait a bit, and then I'll get you a bandage." Desmond said as he stood up, picking up the plastic sheet and folding it, throwing it in a corner, and got rid of the bloody tissues. Louis placed his palm protectively over the tissues on his wrist, holding his hand to his chest.

Harry, deeming that the coast is clear, dropped down and put his head on Louis' lap, lying down. Louis glared at him.

"You do realise that I didn't say you could do that, right?" He mumbled lowly, almost hissing, making sure the pack Alpha – who was going through drawers and talking to himself – didn't hear him.

Harry, the little devil, simply grinned. "I don't need you to say it, _Lewis._ You're my pack now."

Louis rolled his eyes. "Woah there, champ, pipe down the excitement. It's your dad's pack, not yours."

"Yet." Harry reasoned, sounding proud of himself. "But one day, it'll be mine. I'll be your Alpha, and you can't tell me what to do anymore. Maybe I make you do stuff for me, see what it feels like." 

It awfully sounded like Harry's already picturing it, and Louis flicked his forehead, drawing a drown out whine from the little alpha.

"Good luck with that then, _Alpha._ See if you can order me around." Louis mocked, smirking down at the frowning heir.

"Just you watch–" He cut himself off, his frown deepening. Louis raised both brows in question, and suddenly, Harry's cheeks flushed pink. "Um... What... Was your family name again?"

Louis blinked. Once, twice, at the rather sheepish face of Harry, which was looking up at him smugly just a moment ago. He gaped.

"Wha– _Seriously_???" Louis' reaction was comical, and Harry burst into a sudden laughter, the sound echoing on the walls. Desmond came back to them with a huge grin on his face. Louis looked up at the alpha – his pack Alpha now, he noticed – and shook his head at him in disbelief, his mouth still hanging open. The Alpha laughed.

Desmond sat down, offering Louis a glass and holding a roll of bandage in his hand. Louis took the glass and put it in front of him on the floor, while offering Desmond his still stinging wrist. Desmond carefully took the tissues (which were a bit bloody) off, and started bandaging Louis' wrist.

Harry poked Louis' stomach out of blue, and the older boy jumped a little, glaring at the mop of curly hair in his lap. Harry grinned at him, uncaring, and Louis pressed his lips together.

It seemed like this torture was going to last a lifetime. Oh well.

"For your information only, my beautiful _heir_ ," Louis mumbled lowly, the mockery somehow loud in his voice. Desmond only snorted. "my last name is Tomlinson."

Harry blinked, before he nodded.

Once wrapping the bandage around his wrist was done, Desmond let go of it and poured milk for Louis in the glass, offering it to him. Louis started sipping slowly, his stomach a bit in knots.

"If you lost appetite," Desmond said as he stood up again, putting the bandage roll back in his drawer. "Force yourself to eat. Not only that you're already thin, but your body needs strength."

Louis nodded, putting the glass down to rob a thumb on the bandage, over where the stinging wound was, and Harry's eyes snapped to him. "It hurts a lot?"

Louis nodded, when he was supposed to snap at Harry and tell him to bugger off. The heir nodded back, and softly grabbed Louis' wrist, putting it on his tummy, inside of his wrist where the wound was facing upwards, and robbed his small hand softly on it, while his other hand played with Louis' fingers. "Drink the milk now."

Louis felt like that sounded like a command, and he wondered whether the hormones are kicking in or not. Not that it mattered. Louis still waited a second before picking up the glass, taking small sips.

Desmond walked towards the door, declaring there was business to take care of, and started to walk out.

"Alpha Desmond!" Louis called before the alpha could walk out, and Desmond stopped in his tracks, looking at the young omega. Louis simply smiled.

"Thank you." And that was all the omega said, but Desmond smiled back, and nodded. It didn't matter that the gratitude was so simple and short; It was better than any form of gratitude. Because, for once ever since Desmond has met Louis, his small was completely genuine.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the sound of purring has filled the room when Zayn walked inside.

The young alpha raised his brows at the scene in front of him, Niall peaking inside carefully behind him. There, on the rug, Louis was on his back and Harry on his tummy, rubbing their cheeks and hands on the soft texture, purring loud like they were having the time of their lives.

"But Nick says he doesn't feel it!" Harry whined softly, and if Zayn wasn't looking at his face, he'd think his sadness was genuine. "He doesn't feel the softness of it! How is that even a thing?"

"Nick's an _idiot,_ that's how it's a thing." Louis softly said, like it was facts, and Harry nodded.

"He really is. Though don't tell him I said that." Harry mumbled, rubbing his cheek more on the fluffy rug.

"What are you two doing." Zayn asked blankly, while Liam arrived, standing behind Niall.

Louis threw his head back, looking at Zayn from his place on the floor, his vision upside down. Then, he grinned.

" _Zayn!_ Lad, hi! Come and join us in this pretty beautiful morning, mate!" Louis exclaimed loudly, and Zayn rolled his eyes with a smile, walking in further, Niall and Liam after him. Zayn noticed the bandage on Louis' wrist, and this time, he grinned.

"Congrats on joining the pack, lad." He said, and Louis grinned wider, if that was even possible.

"Thanks. Now I'm stuck with Harry forever!" He exclaimed, and Niall burst into laughter at his fake excitement.

Harry frowned. "Hey."

Louis rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Harold." Then he looked at Liam and Niall (who was still laughing). "You two were Niall and Liam, right?"

Liam nodded, his head tilted in curiosity, and Niall's laughter subsided, as he walked towards Louis, dropping on the fluffy rug next to him.

"Your wrist?" He asked, and Louis nodded.

"That's how you join a pack, lad." Louis explained, and Niall frowned.

"How?" He asked, and Zayn sighed.

"Long story, Ni." He said dismissively, and Niall pouted. Zayn sat down next to where Harry was lying down, and Louis looked at him.

"Oh, oh, Zayn. Listen. I asked Alpha Desmond some questions, or, I wanted to, but he didn't let me and said I should come to you for the information."

Zayn raised a brow. "What do you want to know?" He asked curiously.

"Hormones and all? How they work?" Louis asked, and Harry groaned.

"God no! Why? Why are you doing this?" Harry lamented, whining. "Why are you turning into Zayn?"

"Well, maybe if you were more like Zayn, your vocabulary range wouldn't be the size of your bedroom." Louis snapped. Liam raised his brows at the way Louis basically lashed out, but Harry sighed.

"It's fine. Dad said this would happen." He softly stated. Louis immediately deflated, harsh edges disappearing, and he frowned, his eyes going back and forth before he groaned, falling back against the rug.

"Oh for God's sake, get a grip." He mumbled, as if talking with himself.

"Huh?" Niall asked, and Louis shook his head.

"Nothing. It's just... My wolf. Petty guy, really." He sighed. "He's pissed and confused, and maybe a bit too paranoid. Kind of those people who take ages to catch on."

Niall perked up. "Really? You talk to him?"

Louis scoffed. " _No_. He whines to me. At me. About me. He whines _a lot_. And then when we get in trouble, he blames _me._ I just sometimes decide to tell him that I've had enough."

Zayn licked his lips. "I've heard a lot... But... Never talked to someone like this, about their wolf I mean." He cleared his throat. "Can you like, explain how it works?"

Louis looked around. "None of you can shift?"

They all shook their heads. Harry was eerily silent. Louis thought for a bit.

"It's like... He's always there, y'know? In my head, I mean. And it's almost like an inner voice, but different. Like some sort of a separate mind." He paused. "Well, not really. I don't know how to say it. I'm new to this myself."

Niall narrowed his eyes. "Isn't it, like, creepy?"

Louis laughed. "No, Ireland. As much annoying as mine is, you feel comfortable with having them. Even maybe more at peace."

Liam sat down from his satnding position as well. "Um, I've heard, like, they're in dreams."

Louis blinks, then frowns. "I haven't had him in my dreams. But, it does get strange sometimes... The dreams."

Zayn perked up. "Some wolves see the future. They show it in dreams."

Louis rolled on his stomach, resting on his elbows. "I've heard. We didn't have one in pack. Do you?" He asked, curious. Liam nodded.

"Perrie." Zayn answered. Louis raised a brow.

"She can shift?" Zayn shook his head in reply. Louis wasn't done. This was _huge._

"How far can she see?" Louis pressed. Zayn pressed his lips together in thoughts.

"Not much. Just flashes here and there. And not far, just... Maybe moments before? Like, we were at the library when the channel flooded the storage, she told me that it happened. That's how I knew." Zayn explained.

Louis gaped. Perrie was a special wolf. What they called 'gifted'.

Seeing stuff wasn't uncommon. Especially in dreams. Wolves tended to see and show flashes of future in dreams very often. But having visions was different. They were called Daydreams. Poetic name, and not actually accurate nowadays, but it was a myth that the name has came from when wolves that saw the future were a lot more common, and were usually seen staring at a far spot with glazed eyes, seeing ahead of time. Almost every pack had one. Now, though, the ability was as much as a myth as the origin of the name that was given to it. Perrie, however, was seemingly a Daydreamer. Well, not really, since Daydreamers could see the far future in longer periods according to books, but Perrie had flashes instead. However, still, it was a very powerful ability if trained and developed.

Louis exhaled. "You guys are really lucky. I really need to meet her."

Harry huffed. "Gemma is a bit jealous of her, really." Everyone looked at him, and he closed his eyes. "She feels like... Sometimes, and she doesn't say it, but I feel her wanting to be like Perrie." He frowned. "That's dumb. Gemma's amazing. Really."

Zayn smirked. "You tell her these stuff?"

Harry opened his eyes, just for the sake of rolling them. "No, _duh._ But it's true."

Niall laughed (he seemed to laugh a lot) and patted Harry's head. Harry shooed his hand away. Moments later, as if on cue, the door of the room was burst open, and Gemma walked inside, radiating with excitement.

"You love dramatic entrances?" Louis asked in utter annoyance, and Gemma cackled. She seemed to be so happy that nothing in the world could bring her down.

"Get up, boys. We are headed towards the one holy duty: Shopping." She exclaimed. Everyone groaned.

Louis jumped on his feet. He had a long day ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right. That took place.
> 
> Before you aim the tomatoes, I have a reason for that. Not very logical, more sentimental, but still a reason.
> 
> I know werewolves are mythical and it's all about myths and everything, but to me, that's only the case when a universe has humans in it. _This universe doesn't have that._ It's entirely mythical, head to toe, so I'm sorry, but it sounds to me that biology should exist somewhere cause _that's how the world works._
> 
> In short, this world, apart from a mythical system, has a biological system as well. And. Okay no, seriously, do you really want me, a science major, a biology nerd, to accept that a bite in a place with no good reason whatsoever binds two mythical creatures because...? Hell no. They have bodies, there is biology in those bodies, and I'm gonna work with it. In fact, I'm writing a whole chapter with Zayn being your special narrator about how biology, scents, hormones and all the fun stuff work in here cause I hate it when something doesn't have a logical explanation.
> 
> Now you can throw the tomatoes.
> 
> Because I have to apologise. I promised the shopping trip, Gemma, and drama here, but instead you have a chapter full of biology stuff. If it makes you feel better, though, this chapter was twice as long than what it is now, meaning twice as long biology stuff. I really did myself and you kind people a favour by cutting it.
> 
> However, you'd be gracious if you forgive my hunger for writing a Dad Figure™ and being a biology major nerd. Spare me. Thank you.
> 
> By the way, Desmond is totally a Dad Figure to me. I'm sorry for wanting that in my Lil' Lou's life, but I do.
> 
> Oh and also, a small thing I wanna mention: Since I listen to music while writing to set myself a mood, I'm gonna tell you guys what I've listened to while writing each chapter. Last chapter (aka me being an angst drama queen) was written while listening to "Tolerate It" by Taylor Swift (I know. Zero meaning connection. But I needed a sad song and that song is)
> 
> This chapter was written while listening to "River Lea" by Adele, because in a twisted way, the water that ran in the river lea that is in the narrator's blood, and how everyone that lives beside that river share it, sounded awful lot like the concept of pack hormones.
> 
> (Also, the whole idea is still a bit half-arsed. But hey, it's fairly new, even though I spent two hours in the shower forming it)
> 
> Next chapter is gonna be with your host Zayn, explaining how biology works.  
> Or maybe I'd write the shopping trip. Probably the shopping trip. With the girls group driving people mad. Cause I need Gemma.
> 
> (P.S: Perrie? Yeah, she was a sudden idea. I know, cliche, but hey, give me credit a bit, she doesn't exactly see the future. You'll figure out later what she really sees.)


	10. A Past Covered In Barbed Wire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Looks at the date*
> 
> Huh. Oh will you look at that. This is so not an unusual, early update because I felt guilty towards you all and myself for the fact that nothing happened in the last chapter. I also did not sacrifice an assignment for this. Absolutely not.

Shopping trip turned out to be a messy hassle.

After a full fifteen minutes fight with Harry, which ended up with Harry crying and Louis wearing a proud red trail of claws on his arm, they finally settled in Desmond's office.

What didn't sit right with Louis was the number.

Gemma has brought a gang with herself. Short and simple.

The introduction was awkward, especially with the girls and boys witnessing the whole fight between Harry and Louis break out, and Harry sniffing for a good thirty minutes.

Gemma slightly shifted on her feet, Taylor standing tall beside her. The beta cleared her throat.

"So, Louis," She began. "These are the group of girls, escorting us to the shopping trip, because you need fair opinion."

Louis rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I do. Apparently, I can't decide for myself and, worse, I'm color-blind."

The girls fell into a fit of giggles. Louis ignored the pang in his chest and smiled.

Gemma grinned. "Thanks for the humor, Louis. Now," She pointed at the curly blonde next to her. "This is Taylor, Andrea's daughter, by the way," Louis raised his brows, smiling at Taylor. She grinned back.

Gemma pointed at a girl with blonde, short hair standing next to Taylor. "That's Cara." Louis looked at Cara. The girl gave him a toothy grin, and Louis smiled back.

She pointed at the girl standing behind her. "That's Jelena, and the one hiding behind her is Bella, her sister." Louis bent to a side and took a peak, noticing the girl hiding behind Jelena. He looked at Jelena, who was smiling.

"Call me Gigi." She said, with a wave, and Louis nodded. 

"Hi Bella." He whisper-shouted at Bella, who peaked at him from behind her sister's arm, and offered a shy smile.

"That over there," Gemma pointed at a girl standing by the door, nervously eyeing Louis. "Is Perrie, though I have no idea why she's standing there."

Louis looked over at the girl curiously. She had short, wavy golden hair, and alarmed blue eyes. Something in Louis twisted. She could see flashes of the future, her discomfort meant _something._

"You okay, Perrie?" Niall asked from his position on the floor, and Perrie shot him a quick look before staring back at Louis, and she offered a small 'Yes' at Niall's question.

Louis gulped. He was damned.

Gemma noticed Louis going stressed, and Taylor next to her frowned. The beta, however, quickly changed topic. "That one, next to Gigi, is Kendall."

Louis looked over at the girl standing next to Gigi. She had her black hair in a small ponytail, wearing a pink hair clip, and she grinned shyly at Louis. Louis waved.

Gemma nodded, as if approving of herself for a task well done. "I think you've met Zayn, Niall and Liam too."

Louis looked over at where the boys were sitting on the floor. "That I have." He said with a small smile. Zayn and Niall grinned, while Liam simply smiled back.

_'He's a bit too stoic, that Liam.'_ His wolf mentioned.

Louis locked his jaw. _Shut up for God's sake. Just once._ He argued, and his wolf went silent.

He looked back at Gemma, who clapped her hands. "Now then, my brother is decent, and you're formally introduced. It's time to go."

"Wait," Louis said, frowning. "It's just us?"

Gemma tilted her head. "Yeah? Who else?"

Louis squinted at her. "Where is the adult of the group?"

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Adults are boring."

Louis set his face in a blank expression. "So let's see if I got this; You're dragging a bunch of toddlers to a shopping trip, when the oldest member is barely eleven?"

" _Actually_ eleven," Taylor stated, raising a finger. "Just so you know."

Louis face-palmed. "Thanks, Taylor, but not my point. How is this even okay?"

Gemma sighed. "Louis, all the shopkeepers are pack members, nothing will go wrong."

Louis scowled. "Oh trust me, _everything_ might go wrong."

Taylor frowned. "If you're so upset, we can always bring Nick–"

"No." Everyone collectively disagreed. Except for Kendall, Bella and Perrie, of course.

Kendall raised a hand. Louis smiled at the gesture. Taylor turned to her. "Yes?"

"Why do we hate Nick?" She asked, eyes wide, her entire face a big question mark.

Taylor straightened her back. "Because Nick is mean to everyone. If someone's mean to you, you gotta be mean to them. It's a rule."

Kendall raised her hand again, this time speaking without permission. "But what if Nick thinks the same? Is he mean to us cause we're mean to him?"

Zayn scoffed. "No, Kendall. Nick is mean. That's the whole statement."

Kendall didn't look convinced. Louis turned to Zayn. "I get that he's a bit of a... Prat? But what's with the collective hatred?"

Niall threw his hands towards the sky. "Oh, _mate,_ where do I begin?"

"Don't begin, Niall." Liam countered. "Simple answer."

Louis snorted, hiding his smile behind his hand, because Niall glared at Liam like he's been betrayed. Zayn rolled his eyes.

"In short, Nick is a bully with a superiority complex, a big head and a bigger ego."

Louis' lips were set in a tight line. "Yep. A prat."

"Also," Harry softly mumbled. "He kinda doesn't like me."

"Kinda?" Niall bellowed. "Kinda? Harry, I'm sorry to say the bad news, but he thinks just because he's older, he has something over you. No freaking of a caring prat has ever told him that being older doesn't make you better. Since you may wanna kick him sometimes, he hates you because he thinks you're spoiled just because of a claim." By the end of his sentence, he was almost growling, voice high and rough.

Liam fell on his back on the floor. "Thank you for the helpful reminder on how much Nick hates our Heir, Niall, you're a huge help."

Louis frowned. "Do you think you guys hate him because he bothers your pack Heir?"

Zayn frowned. "Could be that."

"Has he ever done anything bad to any of you, except for Harry?"

Taylor tapped her chin in thought. "He generally messes with everyone, but it's much rougher with Harry."

Louis shrugged. "Problem solved, then. Just punch him in the gut next time, make him learn his place, and it's all good."

Gigi pouted. "If we could. Which we can't."

"Why?" Louis tilted his head in question. Taylor raised a perfect brow.

"Maybe because he's a sixteen year old alpha who can shift and is at the top of the fighting groups?"

Louis' brain short-circuited.

He's thought that, at most, Nick is probably eleven, twelve. Not a grown alpha, at the age of sixteen, past the shifting age.

This was just...

_Pathetic._

"Wait a sec," He said, raising his two hands slightly, as if to make a point. "You're telling me, that Nick Grimshaw is a grown up teen alpha who can shift and fight?"

Gemma nodded. "I know the fighting spirit in you has kinda went down–"

"That's _pathetic_." Louis growled, cutting in. Everyone's brows raised. Bella hid behind Gigi again.

"Wait, what?" Taylor asked, confused. Louis was even _more_ confused.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" He threw his arms open in surprise. "He's a grown up alpha kid, which, by the way, used to have _jobs_ in my pack, he's the top notch fighter of his range, he's in highschool, and he goes ahead and picks fights with kids who are barely learning how to read?" He hissed. "He has nothing better to do with his life? Anything? How is that even possible?"

"I can read." Harry countered, and Louis rolled his eyes.

"Yes Harold, thank you for enlightening me that you're capable of bare minimum." He shot right back, and Harry huffed, turning his face sideways. His eyes were still red-rimmed.

Perrie frowned, seemingly in thought. "Nick has been like this since I can remember..."

Gemma nodded her agreement. "He went that way when he was younger. I guess it's just... Habit?"

"Habit?" Louis spat the word out. "You don't just hurt people out of _habit,_ Gemma. That's not how it works. He's not some feral wolf or something now, is he?"

Taylor sighed. "Whatever. This is a topic that we can't talk about here or now." She raised her brow at Louis. "What I _think_ we need to talk about is that your room is miserably empty and needs decorations, and you need clothes."

Well, that settles it.

* * *

Turns out, that there's a big, two-stories building called 'Storage' from the outside, but it's basically just what you'd call a mini shopping mall on the inside. Shopkeepers here and there, selling different things. Louis wasn't aware of the working system in this village (town?), but he guessed that trading with other packs was a thing. According to Zayn, the current building used to be something like a bazaar before, but then they turned the whole small district into a building. So that way, the trading and selling became much easier.

Not that any of those nice things happened in Louis' pack. No one really gets close to a pack being hungrily watched by rogues.

"So," Gemma stopped at the middle of the first story, turning to the bundle of children she was carrying around. "What's first."

"Clothes." Taylor voted.

"Perfumes...?" Was Perrie's answer.

"Books." Zayn was quick to announce.

"Food?" Niall mumbled.

"Wall paint?" Gigi softly said.

"Flowers!" Kendall exclaimed.

"A backpack?" Was Harry's point blank answer.

Everyone turned to Harry.

"A backpack? Why?" Taylor asked the question which was written in everyone's faces.

Harry looked up at Taylor. "So we can fill it with snacks?"

"Yes!" Niall exclaimed loudly. Liam glared at him.

Gemma narrowed her eyes. "Sorry baby bro, but I feel like you've spent too much time with Niall over there."

The Niall in the question pouted.

Harry rolled his eyes. "No, _big sister,_ that's not it. You brought someone who just joined the pack not an hour ago and a bunch of other children in a shopping mall to keep here until the sun sets, and you haven't thought of feeding him, or any of us."

Cara opened her mouth, as if to oppose, but then snapped it shut. "He's right." Was what she said instead.

Louis exhaled with frustration. "Hate to say this, Gemma, but even though I'm _not_ hungry," He said pointedly to Harry, who glared. "He's right."

Gemma groaned in defeat. "Okay, fine. Let's go. Backpack, for school, of course, then snacks. My treat." She turned around and began walking away.

"It's not even your money." Taylor snickered.

"Shut up, Tay!" Was all Gemma yelled back.

* * *

"This one?"

"No."

"How about this one."

"Hm... Nope."

"This one then?"

"Um, still no."

"This is turning out to be difficult." Gemma sighed, exasperated. 

"Just choose whatever!" Cara threw her hands up, frowning.

"Oh, I'm _sorry_ ," Louis turned to her, frowning back. "I can't choose _whatever_ for my entire school year, and probably the next one, or maybe my _entire_ school life."

"Bit of a stretch," Taylor mentioned. Louis ignored her.

Kendall, in contrary, walked towards Louis, patting his arm. "I know, it's hard to choose," She softly said. "But you'll get it."

Louis smiled. "Finally, a civilian." He mocked Gemma. "Thank you, Kendall."

"Civilian?" Gemma asked, offended. " _This_ _civilian_ is buying you stuff–"

"Not your money." Taylor commented, and Gemma threw her hands up.

"Fine! Whatever, I don't care." She turned around and walked away. Perrie immediately followed her.

"Don't pity me, Perz." Gemma growled. Perrie didn't even flinch.

"Perz?" Louis frowned, gaping. _"Perz?"_ He exclaimed, louder, turning to Zayn who was standing behind him. "That's not even a name!" He spread his arms out. Zayn put a palm over his mouth to stifle his laughter. Loui turned towards Gemma's general direction and yelled. _"That's not_ _a_ _name!"_

Zayn broke despite his best efforts, doubling over in laughter, while Niall cackled, throwing his head back. Louis shook his head at no one, still thinking just how _Perz_ is a name.

"Of course Perz is a name, _Lewis_." Gemma yelled back. Louis' expression was comically threatened. 

"This is bullying." Louis mumbled in disbelief. This was his life now.

"A bit of a drama queen, aren't ya?" Niall asked between giggles, and Louis gaped, before he walked away.

"Harassment. Violence. _Injustice._ Bullying doesn't even cut it." He thought aloud as he walked away, making Niall and Zagn burst behind him again.

"Hey, Lewis?" Harry called from the other side of the shop, and Louis sighed deeply. Pain was real.

"The 'S' is _silent,_ Harold." He turned and walked towards Harry, ignoring Gemma's snort. "Not that you'd know of."

Harry didn't reply, standing in front of the racks, looking at the backpacks put in there. "How about that one?" He pointed up, and Louis followed where his finger was pointing.

"I have no idea which one you're pointing at, but I appreciate it." He mumbled. Harry gritted his teeth.

"The third from the top." The young alpha growled, and Louis looked.

It was a navy blue backpack, simple with no weird or specifically obnoxious design. It had three zippers, and the lines around them were a faded white color.

Louis clenched his jaw, not looking back at Harry's obviously smug face. When he didn't reject the idea instantly, or after a few moments, Harry hummed. "That's what I thought." Then, he turned towards where Gemma was sulking. "Gems! Over here!"

Louis closed his eyes for a second, asking the heavens for patience. 

"Why the long face?" Zayn asked him later, when they were standing by the counter. Louis sighed.

"I just hate giving him credit." Louis mumbled, not looking at the younger alpha. Zayn chuckled.

"Why do you hate him? I thought you're here _because_ of him." He reasoned. Louis chuckled.

"I don't hate him. Just because he's changed where my life is going, doesn't mean I have to like it all the way." 

Perrie, in a bit of distance, was listening silently. She sighed. This was proving to be more difficult that she's thought–

Suddenly, there was a flash in her mind. She gasped lightly. No one heard her.

' _A fear. A lie.'_

Her eyes widened. _What?_

But before she could figure it out, the rest of the group were already walking out.

_I don't get paid for this._ She thought, as she followed them.

* * *

After a short time spent on buying whatever snack their hands could reach, specifically Niall's, they stood in the middle of the first story, again, to figure out where to go next.

"I say, clothes." Taylor declared.

"I say clothes as well, so it's decided." Gemma announced, leading them towards the stairs.

"This is dictatorship." Louis mumbled as he fixed his heavy backpack on his shoulders.

"You're a drama queen." Liam said, standing next to him. Louis snickered.

"And you've swallowed a stick. Your point?" The omega sassed, and if Zayn, Niall, Harry, Perrie and Taylor all collectively snorted, it was between them and Liam's glaring gaze.

Gemma walked them into a big shop, with clothes racks all around, pants and jeans and trousers and shirts and skirts, and, in short, any item of clothing you could think of.

"I'm really sorry mate, I hope you survive." Zayn told Louis as he patted his shoulder, and it all suddenly his Louis in the face.

He was in a clothes shop, with seven girls all around him.

He was a doomed mannequin.

* * *

"No. Nope. Take it off." Taylor exclaimed, Gigi nodding furiously next to her.

" _You_ told me to put it on!" Louis exclaimed in shock, locking eyes with a very serious Taylor.

"And now I regret it. I wanted to know how you look in this, but nope, not working out for you." She reasoned. Louis sighed.

"Seriously, it's not even that big of a thing. What's with the drama?" Louis sighed.

Gigi glared. "Because you need an entire closet filled, with stuff you _look good_ in."

Louis rolled his eyes. How _that_ was a reason, he had no idea.

"I'd say," Gemma began. "That we choose a specific type of clothes that look good on him, and choose from there."

Cara nodded. "Make the shirts and trousers match." She added in wisdom as advice.

Louis stood there, expression blank in annoyance, as the girls around him collectively agreed.

The traitors, also known as the male population of this whole thing, have saved themselves and were sitting at the other side of the shop, the furthest from where the hassle was. It didn't help that the shopkeeper, a beta girl, was looking at them with amusement all over her face.

Louis was pissed and overwhelmed. They've been here for twenty minutes now, and he's tried several shirts and jeans on, all to be rejected by the same people who's made him wear them in the first place.

The urge to sit down and just cry was real.

Perrie suddenly tugged at his sleeve. "Louis," She softly whispered. "Sit down a bit."

Louis blinked, looking at the girl's blue eyes.

His wolf snapped forward in his mind.

_'Lewis,'_ He whispered. _'Careful. You're looking at a wolf.'_

Louis was confused. _What?_

_'You're so thick, God. Look at her flashing eyes.'_ His wolf groaned, annoyed. _'She's seen something. Sit. Down.'_

That settled it. Louis moved and sat down next to Perrie. The girl watched him with careful eyes, until she eventually calmed down and looked away.

Suddenly and out of blue, Harry was next to him. "Did you eat something?" He asked, as he opened the zipper of the backpack, digging into it.

"Not hungry." Louis defended, and Harry raised his head, glaring.

"Dad said you should eat." Was all he said before he went right back to choosing a snack.

Finally, he chose a pack of biscuits, opening it messily. He picked one himself and offered the rest to Louis. The omega raised a questioning brow.

"Why do I get the feeling that you were hungry yourself and now I'm just an excuse?" Louis asked, sceptical, but Harry simply shrugged instead of answering.

Louis tentatively picked out a biscuit, munching on it slowly. His stomach was in knots. He forced himself to swallow, even if his body protested. 

"Take little bites." Perrie whispered, her legs swinging back and forth. "It helps."

Louis nodded. Right. Little bites.

Louis had this sudden thought that Perrie kinda scared him. God knew what kind of information she had.

Gemma, Cara and Taylor has dragged Zayn into looking for different _types_ , as they've called it. They were chatting very seriously, dismissing different clothes and picking some.

Finally, they came back with five T-shirts, two jumpers, two polo shirts, three pairs of shorts, four pair of jeans, and a dozen socks.

Gemma's lips were set in a tight line, and Taylor was glaring at no one in particular. Cara looked smug, and Zayn was basically grinning.

"So?" Louis asked, not standing up. Nope, still his break time.

"So," Gemma started, sounding defeated. "Turns out, this would've been easier if we had one of the boys' opinion."

Louis threw his head back in relief. "Thank God."

Next to him, Perrie and Harry laughed.

So, Louis tried on one from each item, leaving it to the rest of the group to decide on the colours. Bella and Kendall spent their entire time choosing socks with pretty patterns, which Louis found undeniably sweet, considering they were the youngest members of this group, and Harry joined Zayn and Liam on choosing jeans, while Niall went to help with the shorts. Taylor, Cara and Gemma fell into another heated argument about T-shirt patterns, Gigi cutting in from time to time, asking opinions on jackets, and Louis munched on his biscuit while going through underwear, with Perrie awkwardly tagging along. Or, awkward for Louis. Perrie seemed fine.

After another good twenty minutes, lots of shouting, and adults laughing at their antics from time to time, they left the clothes shop with a kabillion of clothes that made Louis wonder if he could fit them in his closet. Gemma assured him that if he couldn't, she could.

The pack hormone kicked in at the best and worst time possible.

They walked out of the shop, following Gemma's lead towards the stairs, when something caught Louis' attention.

He abruptly stopped walking, the entire group halting with him as well.

"What? What is it?" Gigi whisper-shouted, as if Louis has spotted a spy or something.

"Lads," Louis mumbled lowly, looking at the boys and girls around him. "You don't see what I'm looking at?"

"No?" Gemma whispered. "I don't see anything special..."

Louis groaned and parted himself from the group, walking towards the other side of the second story.

Behind him, Harry suddenly realised what's going on. "Oh," He started. "It's the vans."

Louis laughed. "You, Harold," He said loudly. "Are my favourite."

Harry shrugged. "I'm just that good." He smugly replied, as he started walking after Louis. The rest of the group followed.

Louis tried a few shoes on, until he got a shoe that fit – with Taylor making a Cinderella joke, which earned her a glare – and he was about to announce his choice to the chatting group of kids, when a shiver ran through his entire body.

Perrie suddenly turned from where she was staring at some snickers, Harry almost dropped Gemma's wallet that he was holding for her, Niall actually dropped Louis' backpack that he's been keeping to himself, Taylor and Gemma's conversation abruptly stopped, Zayn's head snapped up from where he was reading a small book, Liam stood up from his stool that was next to Zayn so fast that the stool almost fell on the ground, Kendall's eyes welled up for some odd reason, Bella hugged Gigi's arm, and Cara almost tripped and fell.

Energy zapped around them like a wire snapping, and the whiplash of it hit Louis the hardest.

"Did you feel that?" Gemma whispered, gripping Taylor's shoulder like an earthquake has passed and she didn't trust her legs. Around her, everyone nodded.

Louis tried to take a deep breath, but air seemed to shudder in his lungs, escaping him. His vision started swimming.

Before anyone could move, Harry was in front of him, palms gripping his knees. "Louis, Louis. Look at me."

Louis was trying, he really was, but his vision kept slipping here and there, and he couldn't focus his gaze–

"Louis." Harry's voice sounded lower, a bit deeper, a bit more hushed. Louis blinked. His wolf snapped forward in his mind.

_'What's wrong?'_ He wondered silently in Louis' brain.

_I feel like fainting._

There was an arm wrapped around his shoulders. Louis couldn't feel it, he just saw it go that way. The only thing he did feel was Harry's death grip on his knees.

" _Louis_." Harry's small voice called again, calmly.

Louis' body wasn't working. He couldn't talk. His wolf huffed in frustration. _'You're useless.'_

Then, his focus shifted from Louis. _'Here. I'm here.'_

Louis felt weird, odd, disconnected.

_'We're falling backwards.'_ His wolf announced, and... _What?_ Why were they falling backwards?

"It's okay, lie down a bit." Harry's voice came again. Louis felt like there was chatter, rather noisy. But it sounded like it's coming through a layer of water... Only Harry's voice broke through. Must be an Heir thing. Louis wouldn't know. His pack never had an Heir. Maybe he should ask Zayn about Heirs, see what he knows.

_'Who's around?'_ His wolf asked, uncaring about Louis' thought process, although Louis did kinda wonder where he was.

Seemingly, his wolf had someone to ask his question from. "That's just Zayn."

Oh, Harry meant the arm around his shoulder. Nice. Zayn was nice. He liked Zayn.

_'You really break filters when you're out of it.'_ His wolf joked, and, yeah okay, he was right on that one. _'Usually you keep it all in. I'm kinda excited right now. Although it's not lasting long. You're coming back up now.'_

Coming back up? What did that mean?

Eventually, Louis' vision brightened. Has he passed out? He hadn't realised that he couldn't see, everything was just... Too much in his head that he's missed that. Everything was a blur. Blurs of colours and light spots. Louis blinked, trying to clear his vision. He quickly realised that, apparently, it didn't work like that.

"Hey, hey, it's alright." Harry's voice cut through the blur of voices and colours again, and Louis closed his eyes. His lashes stuck together. Why? Was it raining? Was his face wet?

There was a tender touch on his temple, and Louis sighed. It felt good to know that he's not really floating to nowhere. 

"How do you feel?" That was Zayn's voice. If he could hear someone else other than Harry this clear, then maybe his vision wasn't as blurry as before.

He slowly blinked his eyes open and, yes, his vision has cleared slightly. People's heads weren't blurs anymore, lights weren't as bright. He blinked afew times, remembering what Zayn has asked. Right. How did he feel?

Well, for starters, he was breathing, calm and steady, not feeling like the air was running out of his body. His chest still felt heavy, so did the rest of his body, but at least he could _feel_ his body. His vision and hearing was better too. So, all in all, he was rather good.

He took a deep breath, trying to talk. It sounded like a lot of effort.

"Lewis? You okay?" Harry's voice was there again, and Louis turned his vision to his right, where Harry was standing next to his horizontal body, his green eyes fixed on him, his grip on his arm steady.

And what did he call Louis? God, no. Louis wasn't letting this stand.

"The 'S'..." He forced out, words slightly slurred. He didn't care, he had a point to make. "... Is silent."

Cara scoffed at his left, throwing her small hands up. "Jeez, he's fine."

Perrie frowned at her. "Yeah, sure. But you almost pissed yourself in worry."

"Perrie!" Gemma and Taylor chastised, and a funny thought struck Louis. Could Perrie foresee someone wetting themselves?

The thought made him chuckle breathlessly. Niall tilted his head at him, curious about whatever that wasn't making him laugh.

"Tell you later." Louis mumbled softly, and Niall grinned. God, did he smoke something?

Suddenly, he noticed a face of a young woman he didn't recognise who she was in his field of vision. He looked at her and blinked a few times, and she smiled.

"Hello." She said, and her voice sounded like bells. "I'm Kate, the shopkeeper." She introduced herself, and frowned playfully. "Your friends told me your name is Lewis, but I'm guessing that's not the case."

Louis sighed and nodded. "It's Louis." Kate chuckled at how pouty he sounded. She brushed a hand through his hair. People seemed to do that a lot. Did he have something in his hair?

"Well, Louis. Welcome to the pack." She told him with a wide smile. "You passed out for a few minutes, but you're fine now." Louis nodded in agreement. He _was_ fine. "What happened there might be because you were tired. Usually people don't pass out after the effects start. Is that is?"

Louis thought for a few moments. Was he tired? No, not really. At least, it didn't feel like it...

"He arrived here yesterday after days of running in the snow." Harry answered for him, and Kate's attention fully shifted on him. "Then he had to run after me in town, then he carried me all afternoon, and he had a very bad night. I don't think he slept much. Very early morning, he left home with my dad and joined the pack, then we dragged him here. All he ate was a cup of tea, a glass of milk and two biscuits." Harry's face has hardened to the point of anger throughout his long speech.

Kate gaped and looked back down at Louis. "Hon, you're _exhausted!"_ She was frantic. "Why haven't you rested? Why did you even agree to come shopping?"

Everyone around him looked guilty now. But Louis was _fine,_ this was _unnecessary._

" 'Cause..." Louis mumbled. "I needed stuff. To buy. I didn't want to stay in."

Kate wasn't convinced. "Just one day, hon! This could've been done tomorrow! Don't you feel tired?" Then she faced Taylor and Gemma. "And you! What were you thinking, dragging an exhausted kid here with yourselves? Do you think this is a game? What if he's been hurt?"

Gemma and Taylor looked down. Harry buried his nose in Louis' arm, looking up at Kate with his eyes wide and guilty. And okay, that was it.

He put a hand under himself, pushing himself off the surface he's been lying on, which he could see now that was three square stools put next to each, and sitting up. Kate and Zayn reached out to steady him, but he didn't need their help. He was _absolutely fine,_ it was just the shock.

He absolutely ignored that Desmond hadn't mentioned anything about passing out.

"I'm _okay_." He declared steadily. "I agreed to this. I wanted to do this, and no one forced me. It's fine."

"Louis, seriously, if you feel like–" Gemma protested. But Louis cut her off.

"I _feel like_ we should do this today, I want to, and I'm okay. It was just the shock, like Alpha Desmond said." Harry looked up at him, frowning, knowing that he was lying. But he didn't say anything when Louis glared at him, and averted his gaze.

Gemma sighed. Taylor wrapped her arms around herself next to her. "I still feel bad about this." The blonde said. "What if you actually hurt yourself?"

Louis smiled. "Then it's on me and my stubbornness." He turned and set foot on the floor, testing his legs. They were good. He could feel them. Zayn and Harry watched him closely, while Liam watched his back, making sure he wouldn't fall.

Louis stood up, with a slight tremble in his legs. It was between him and his legs, alright?

He looked around at the worried glances of too many kids around him. He sighed. "Well, where are my vans?"

* * *

As the group of kids walked out of the shop with Kate's worried gaze following them, and started walking towards random shops to see what they'd find, Gemma figured that it never hurt to be extra careful.

"Okay, change in plans," She announced, and the group came to a halt. "We're going for lunch."

"I thought we bought lunch." Niall said, frowning exaggeratedly in confusion. Liam shook his head in disappointment.

"Niall, a bunch of packed snacks isn't lunch. Lunch is lunch. Actual food."

"Anything that can be eaten is actual food, Liam. That doesn't even make sense." 

Zayn jumped in the middle of the argument before it has even started. "Not the point. We can't eat our lunch here anyway. I'd say we go to a restaurant."

Louis turned his head towards Zayn so fast he almost broke his neck. "Restaurant? Like _this_?"

Taylor shrugged. "Yeah? What's so wrong about it?"

Louis looked at her disbelievingly. "Wha– _Shopping_ was one thing, _restaurant_ is another. We're not adults. What if one of them is allergic to something? Or what if one of them eats too much? Besides, _this_ number? We're twelve people, Taylor. That's insane."

Cara frowned. "Listen, I think Louis is right. Maybe we should go back home?"

Liam huffed. "But, we've done this before, no? We went to have lunch together like a week ago. What's so wrong with it?"

Louis' exhaled a shuddering breath, pressing his palms against his eyes. "Nothing, it's just that I–"

_I don't feel safe._ He thought.

In the meantime, Harry, who's fallen a bit behind, picked up on the spike of fear in Louis' scent, that others didn't notice because it blended with other scents, as he watched the argue from afar. He walked towards the circle of kids and took Perrie's hand. She turned and looked at Harry with questioning eyes, but he just put his finger against his nose, shushing her and pulling here away.

"Pez," He whispered, and took Gemma's wallet out of his back pocket. "Hold this for me, yeah? It's Gemma's. Don't lose it or I'm dead."

"But..." Perrie took the pink wallet and looked up at Harry again. "Where are you going?"

Harry smiled sweetly, goading her into believing him for now. "Nowhere. I'll be back. Join them before you lose them." And with that, he turned around, sprinting down a set of stairs, going to the door.

Perrie scoffed. "This place isn't even that big. I won't get lost."

Of course, Harry didn't hear her. He was already running out the door into the noon sunlight. He rushed his way through alleys and streets, running into the main way that headed towards the Main House, and soon enough, he was running through the big door of the mansion, finding his way towards the council room.

He opened the door without knocking, running into the room. The members and a few other people were in deep discussion, but Desmond and Anne's eyes quickly shifted on him as he entered.

"Harry?" Desmond called, and the conversation stopped, as everyone turned to look at their Heir's rather worried face. Anne quickly stood up.

"Baby? What's wrong?" Anne walked slowly towards him from where she was next to her mate, and Harry shook his head. 

"Can I talk with you alone, mum?" He softly mumbled, and the council members exchanged confused glances. Anne nodded.

"Of course baby, let's talk outside." And she quickly took Harry's hand, taking him back in the hallway with herself. She crouched down in front of Harry to be on his level. "So? Tell me. Is someone hurt?"

"No, not..." Harry gulped, playing with his fingers. "It's Louis, he... He's tired and, um... A bit scared. I think he's maybe... Had a bit too much to work with today, and... And yeah. So, um, maybe...?" He didn't finish that thought.

But Anne realised what he meant.

"I really have to be present in this meeting, baby," Anne said, and Harry's hopeful face fell. "But," She raised a finger, and Harry blinked at her curiously. "I will send someone right now, okay? Don't worry, baby."

Harry smiled at her, a full grin, and nodded. "Okay. Thanks mum!"

"Now hurry up, get back to them and watch out for Louis, yeah?" Anne smiled and patted Harry's back, getting up, and the young alpha nodded, kissing his mum on the cheek before quickly running off. Anne walked back into the council room, and raised her hand. The talking stopped.

"Anne?" George asked, a silent question.

"Andrea," Anne called the lead huntress, who was standing next to a window. "I've gathered that you have a few hours to spare before going back to hunting, correct?" The huntress nodded, realising that Anne's on her business mode. "Good. Then go to the main storage, and take care of the kids, and possibly bring each and every one of them home. That way, you'd spend a few hours with Taylor as well before you leave."

Andrea nodded, and excused herself from the meeting, quickly walking out. Anne came back to her seat, and the meeting continued.

* * *

' _A hit. A blame.'_

Perrie's entire body shook as she followed the group of her friends in the shopping area. She almost whined in frustration. What was going on today? Has she finally lost it? This was the second time she's been warned, by her wolf who was always silent otherwise, which she _should_ be since Perrie was just seven, and nothing has happened yet. This was horrible. She still hadn't figured out how this whole foreseeing thing worked. The worst she's had was a full dream of many, many things happening, and flashes here and there. There was no one they knew that had this power or has seen someone who's had it before in the pack, and despite Zayn's help, days the spent in the library trying to figure it out, they've found basically nothing helpful.

And usually, stuff would happen shortly after the warning, but she's yet to see the fear and the lie take place, and there was another. Was the previous one replaced? Did something change? Why was it even a riddle like this anyway? When the channel overflew, she saw it in her head, but this wasn't the same. Just words. Why?

The sound of running, clumsy footsteps caught her attention. She turned, and saw Harry running towards her. The entire group stopped, looking at a running Harry, who stopped next to Perrie, or, tried to, because he slipped on the tiles a few inches before he completely stopped, and put his hands on his knees as he bent down, gasping for air.

"What..." Gemma wondered, but Louis was faster.

"Where did you go?" He asked, his voice frantic, and Harry looked up at him and grinned a Cheshire cat smile. 

"Had some water," Perrie almost jumped, because she heard it; The tiny jump in Harry's heartbeat. He hadn't have water. He was lying.

_A lie_.

Perrie felt dizzy. A lie. _A lie._ Harry's lie. What did it have to do with anything? What happened to the fear? 

Louis raised a brow. "We had a water bottle, like, right in that backpack." He reasoned, and Harry finally stood straight, and gave him a cocky smile.

"But river's is better." He said, and Louis' teeth hurt at the mere thought of the freezing water. Put clothes on him, but you can't change the fact that he was a caveman like Gemma has said. "That's what a wolf does."

Louis frowned. _What?_ What was the connection of that with anything, ever? 

The question died in his throat as he heard a loud cackle.

" _Wolf?"_ Someone asked in a mocking voice, and Louis turned around to see who it was. "Like _you're_ any wolf, Styles. Don't kid with me like that, it's really not funny."

There was a boy, a few steps away. Tall and older than them. His head was in buzz-cuts, he was wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts, and he looked like he needed a shower.

Harry pressed himself against Louis' side. Louis almost turned his head and looked at him. What was wrong...?

"Nick." Harry called, and Louis' eyes snapped right back to the boy standing in front of him.

_'Ah,'_ His wolf practically growled in his head. _'So that's Nick Grimshaw. The bully in the need of a dirt nap.'_

Louis agreed, for once maybe, with his wolf.

Nick's eyes shifted from Harry to Louis. He stared at Louis, and Louis stared back. The new scent of the wolf around him thickened and tightened, becoming a bit suffocating. What was he trying to do?

_'He's trying to force us into submission.'_ Louis' wolf chuckled, humourless. Something bitter in Louis shifted. His wolf agreed. _'Luckily, he's not the first one.'_

Louis held back a rumble, and smiled instead. If his smile was sharp, then that was on purpose. "Onto something, Nicholas?" Louis mocked, and Nick glared, but he smirked back at him.

"So you're the new weakling who's joined this pack?" Louis felt like he's been physically punched. _Weakling?_ "Alpha Des accepted you for what, exactly? 'Cause all I see is a tiny little omega."

Louis' scent shifted. _Tiny little omega._ That was an insult he wouldn't let this punk live down. Harry felt the sudden sharpness in Louis' scent and moved in front of him, pressing his back against him. But Louis had yet to lose his cool.

_'Let's see how far this idiot is willing to go, Lewis.'_ God, Louis loved his wolf.

So Louis actually chuckled. "You make me laugh, Nick. If you were supposed to know why a pack Alpha does things, you'd be the pack Alpha."

_'Oh, burn.'_ Louis' wolf sniggered.

And, it seemed that the insult has hit right home. Nick's smug smirk disappeared, his face shifting into one of pure anger. Louis really needed that trophy right now.

"Listen, you little _shit_ ," Nick swore, but if he expected Louis to flinch, then he should've gone back in time and met the jackass alpha kids Louis has dealt with. He's heard worse. "You're here to babysit Harry over there, which, frankly, he _does_ need a babysitter." Harry growled. Louis frowned. "So know your fucking place."

" _Wow,_ Nick." Louis said in fake-awe. "You really just graced your garbage words with more filth! Bravo, lad, you impress me."

The air around them has been charged with challenging scents from Louis and Nick, added with the terrified scents of girls who were now behind Louis, Taylor, Gemma and Harry. It all was sending Louis mixed signals, but the top priority in his mind was clear; Get Nick away from them. Nick presented himself as a threat, and Louis would be _damned_ if he'd let Nick get the upper hand.

But the energy around them seemed to snap as Nick took a step forward, and Taylor jumped right in front of Louis and Harry, growling loudly. 

And, _oops._ Of course Taylor felt challenged. She was an alpha.

_'This was going rather well with words and sass. But alphas just have to argue with inhuman voices, really.'_ His wolf deadpanned.

If Louis wasn't stuck in a tense situation, he would've laughed.

"Nick," Taylor growled the words out. "Not today. Get out of here."

Nick raised a brow. "Oh now you're challenging me? What are you going to do, skinny? Shift? Last I checked, you still couldn't do that." He mocked.

Taylor's growl echoed on the walls, as she crouched down threateningly, her scent suddenly turning bitter and thick. Louis watched as her nails grown into claws, and he quickly grasped her arm to stop her.

Gemma, slightly calmer than Taylor, stepped forward. "Nick, I seriously suggest you getting out of here. Right now is really not the time for you to pick up fights."

Nick laughed. Louis could see people standing in the doors of their shops, watching the scene unfold with worried expressions. No one dared to move, though. Apparently, nobody wanted to piss off a young alpha more than what it already was. Which was logical, yet a cowardice move in Louis' opinion.

"Not the time? Seriously, Gemma, I don't get why you're so worried. Those behind you are a bunch of toddlers, our _Heir_ is basically useless," Louis felt Harry's nails biting into the fabric of his jeans. "And Taylor is not really an issue here. And you really don't strike as a threat, y'know? Not the fighting type."

Gemma sneered. "Insult my brother again and I'll show you just how much of a fighting type I am."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm just here to say my piece and go."

"You could've done that _a_ _lot_ sooner." Zayn mumbled coldly, from his place behind Louis. Nick completely ignored him in favour of directing his attention towards Louis.

"Listen here," He told Louis, and the younger boy looked at him. "You asked me why Alpha Des would accept you in this pack? I know why he's done it. Simple, really. It's called _pity_." The word slapped Louis in the face. "You know why? Because you're a lost little thing and he just couldn't sit down and watch you cry your _pathetic_ life away, so he took you in to babysit our stupid excuse of an Heir." Harry tensed against Louis. Something ugly started forming at the pit of Louis stomach. "But if you think you're someone, I'm just going to remind you that you're not. You know why? Because you are _no one._ You're just a little _pitiful_ creature that Alpha Des saved out of kindness so he wouldn't be a miserable, homeless little shit." Nick spat the words out.

Blood rushed out of Louis' brain, and he went dizzy. Each and every word has been a kick in the stomach, hurting, hurting, _hurting_ all over. The words stung too sharp that he took a step back.

_Homeless. Pitiful. Pathetic. Miserable._

_'Then let's show him what a miserable, pitiful, pathetic, homeless little thing that lived off of crying his life away to feed his sisters instead of saving himself and getting hurt in the process by alphas twice his size has to offer to a brat like him.'_ His wolf growled, loud and clear in his head, finally snapping, taking over his decisions.

That was the last coherent thought Louis had before all he saw was red.

And Andrea arrived just in time to hear a deafening, furiously wild growl echo loudly in the main storage, and the sound of Nick Grimshaw's jaw breaking. She could barely save the young alpha's nose from the flying fist of a furious omega.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .... Well, shit.
> 
> Man oh man I was waiting for this one. 
> 
> First things first, thank you for the comments on the last chapter! I read them all, I will reply, but I was busy writing this. I'm now gonna leave you at this semi-cliffhanger and write Zayn's document cause I gotta. Y'know, take a break.
> 
> But just a few things. One: For anyone who still hasn't got it, despite the fact that dragging Louis was a bit of a stupid move (because, children, and Louis is stubborn), the rest of the entire trip was absolutely fine, and they were safe. It's a pack, they're like a family, no one would hurt the other– well, okay, except for kids' street fight here and there. But generally, if they hurt another, they're hurting themselves. Also, aiming to hurt a group of kids who are with the Heir? Hell no, Des will have their heads. Children's fight is a different thing. Now go figure why, despite all of this, Louis didn't feel safe. Tell me in the comments if you figured it out.
> 
> Two, which is slightly more important than One: Nick is basically a jackass here. Why? Because I needed a bad character to make the good characters shine? No. This isn't exactly a fairytale. I'm writing this as some sort of an emotional outlet, thus, no one is flawless. My centre character is traumatised, what do you think of the rest? They're flawful, maybe even messed up, and each and every one of them will make mistakes. These here are kids, they're bound to make dumb mistakes. Louis is the way he is for a reason, Nick is the way he is for a reason. Hell, even Harry is the way he is for a reason. But you have to wait and see why.
> 
> Well, that was all! Also, don't ponder too much on Perrie. Wanna keep her a mystery of sorts for a bit.
> 
> Thank you! Any feedback is appreciated as always! See ya! Xx
> 
> *Passes out in belated birthday cheer*
> 
> (This chapter was written while listening to "Closure" by Taylor Swift)


	11. Document I: Hormones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **This chapter is a Document. It's an explanation for the mechanisms, dynamics, and relations in this Alternative Universe. It does not effect the main storyline, plot or relationships. Take this as a free read. Thank you.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Well, where do I begin? Sorry for the false alarm, but this one isn't a chapter. It's the document I promised, for anyone who's curious, so my imagination and biology nerdiness wouldn't bother anyone who's not. This is a complete explanation, and I've put everything I could think of into it, so dive right in! Also, this is not a boring read, or so I hope.

Hello. I'm Zayn Malik. Commonly known as the nerd, the bookworm, the bore and all those good stuff among my pack members. However, _Nick,_ no one wants your opinion. Thank you.

I read a lot. I like reading. It's a good thing to do. It's fun and it's good for your general knowledge. It's only logical to do it. It's either that, or me breaking havoc for no good reason. You'd prefer me reading books, trust me.

Alpha Des never says it, but I actually _do_ own the mansion's library. We call the mansion The Main House, by the way. So, the main library is basically my playground. It's a calm and peaceful place, a ground that Nick Grimshaw _never_ steps in, because apparently if he does, the mere knowledge that exists in this library will throw his brain in overdrive and make him go mad, so you can obviously see the attraction.

Anywho, this is all irrelevant. What I'm going to talk about here, is the hormonal system of wolves in general, and probably in detail.

This will be short. I _promise._

Last promise I made, was to never touch another book again. That gives you a fair idea about my opinion on promises.

So, let's start at the very beginning.

To form a pack, you first need to be _not_ a part of a pack. Meaning, be a rogue wolf who's tired of being alone and can actually function and take responsibility.

Then, you need a mate with the same thought process. Which is almost impossible to find these days. But if you found one, congrats! You can form a pack now.

We will call the source pack hormone, the Hormone X. Because that's easy.

Every alpha has a gland in their body that produces such a hormone, and every alpha produces a unique one, although genetics plays a major rule. Like how every scent or DNA is unique, that hormone is unique as well. But, as long as an alpha is part of a pack, the production of such hormone is paused. Unless they rebel against the pack Alpha (that's not the case for heirs, I'll explain that in a bit), or break the pack bond, although both are usually the same.

So, in a pack, the only wolf that produces that hormone is the pack Alpha.

Once the pack Alpha dies, or for any reason stops being the pack Alpha, whether taken down by the heir or whoever else, the pack Heir begins producing the Hormone X.

Although, it's not exactly the same as the previous pack Alpha.

However, it results in the same hormone. We'll get to that.

Let's talk about how a child born in a pack is automatically a part of the pack.

Say, for your rouge mate to be your Luna, not only you need to be bonded through a mating bond bite, but also a pack bond bite. If you haven't bitten your mate on the wrist, then I'm sorry, but they're not pack. So they can go away anytime, and the child they'd give birth of that is yours, is not your pack as well. But once you've bitten the wrist, that's a different story.

Say, Hormone X, the source hormone, enters an alpha, beta, or omega's body. The wrist scent gland is not just a scent gland, it's a gland with another duty as well. It's small, but it does the job. This gland takes the Hormone X, and basically decodes the chemical formula, creating something similar based on the placement of specific elements in there. Something similar to DNA in that regard. The Hormone X is gone (unless you've been mated before) but there's something similar to it in the receivers body now. We'll call the result hormone the Hormone Y.

Hormone Y starts running in the blood flow, going to a different gland. That gland simply makes copies of the Hormone Y's formula, creating more and more of the same hormone, effecting the entire body.

Body and soul in a werewolf are fully connected. Once the working in the body changes, the wolf spirit changes as well. In short, the wolf becomes bonded to the pack Alpha, and as result, to the rest of the pack who have the same hormone in their bodies.

Now, if the receiver, is an omega or a female beta, and they get pregnant (by anyone), then what? Well, very obviously, since the hormone is running in their blood, and they share the blood with the fetus, and once the child's body develops enough to have the second gland that we talked about, that gland just takes the same hormone and makes copies of that. As result, the child is also pack. 

Three topics that are connected to this: Heir, Luna, and the fall of pack Alpha ( _dramatic_ ).

**Heir:**

The Heir, is the alpha child of a pack Alpha that takes his place. Is that randomly chosen? _No._ Is it just luck? Again, _no._ The spirit that the Heir has, is fitting to be an Alpha (moon and all that myth, not the topic here) and so the body is developed to be an Alpha's. How?

Simple, really. When a child is the Heir, unlike other children, their body _does_ produce their own Hormone X, up until a few days after birth, until it subsides and becomes just an occasional production in very little portions. The pack Alpha can smell that on their children, and they would know which child is the Heir (so does the rest of the pack).

**Luna:**

Have I ever told you how actually powerful a pack Luna is? Obviously not, so I'm going to get right into it.

Let's bring up a case. Like, Louis' previous pack case. As you know, Louis' biological father and the original pack Alpha, Troy Austin, died when he was young. Yet, his mother, the pack Luna, chose another mate as an Alpha. Now, you might be thinking: _But wait, Zayn! Didn't you say that the Alpha is the Alpha because he produces the Hormone X which results in the pack hormone (which is unique for every pack)? Then how did he become their Alpha? Did he bite each and every one of the members?_

In that case, I have to ask you this: Are you _mad?_ You can't go ahead and bite every wolf in a pack consisting of over thirty families! Where's time management?

So, instead, nature thought this thorough. The key is the pack Luna.

When a pack Alpha mates with a beta or omega, since Hormone X is in saliva, it gets in the neck scent gland. I'm not going through the entire mating/bonding thing right now, because that's a whole document on its own, but I will tell you this.

When the Hormone X gets in the neck scent gland, something different from what happened to it in the wrist scent gland goes on in there. I told you that if the Hormone X is inserted in the neck, it doesn't make you pack, since it doesn't create Hormone Y. Then what happens to it?

 _ **Take notes:**_ _Condition one and only; You have to be pack first._

The neck gland takes the formula of the Hormone X and creates a very similar replica of it. We call it Hormone Z. Hormone Z is basically Hormone X, but coded, and it runs in the Luna's body and gets produced all the time, unless the mating bond is broken by the Alpha.

If the pack Alpha dies for whatever reason, and they don't have an Heir or the Heir is not of age, the decision of choosing the new pack Alpha falls to the Luna. The Luna can choose _anyone,_ and bite into their neck scent gland. With that, Hormone Z gets inserted in the alpha's body, and it gets to that specific gland that creates the alpha's own Hormone X, and whether that gland is producing the Hormone X or not, it stops the whole process and makes the gland to get the Hormone Z uncoded instead. Once uncoded, the gland starts producing the result Hormone X, not only making the alpha part of the pack (a feat no other wolf can achieve by the neck bite) but also making them the pack Alpha. 

The tea? If the pack Luna breaks the mating bond, the alpha's body reverts right back to the way it was before, stopping the production of Hormone X altogether. So yeah, if the alpha turns out to be an asshole, it's easily taken care of.

(Some idiot barbarians would _shudder_ if they knew an omega can have this power. _Fools_.)

**The fall of pack Alpha:**

There are three ways an alpha stops being the pack Alpha.

 _One:_ They die.

 _Two:_ They resign.

 _Three:_ They're disqualified.

If they die, it's simple. If they have and Heir, the Heir starts producing their own Hormone X, automatically making them the new pack Alpha. If they don't, the Luna chooses the next pack Alpha. If they don't have an Heir and Luna, then the pack is in _shambles._ Either they separate, or they choose a wolf to become their Alpha, and they all get bitten by him.

If they resign, their body stops making the Hormone X, and the whole process of above all over again.

If they're disqualified, it's either by the moon, or the pack. If the moon disqualifies them, meaning they don't have the right spirit and soul to be an Alpha, then their body stops producing the Hormone X on its own. Just like that. This is also a way that when someone becomes an Alpha just in the woods, they don't abuse such power. Of course, jerks exist because fate is dumb, and turns out you can't just end all bad guys. Not a perfect world and all that, _God knows_ what fate has in store. If the pack disqualifies the Alpha, it means that they majority agreed that the pack Alpha is a _jerk,_ and then again, since they get rejected from their place, their body stops making the Hormone X. Sounds democratic, but you have to get _majority_ to agree, which is not as an easy feat as it sounds like.

Few loopholes in there: If the pack consists of rogues getting together for the same benefit, they can follow the lead of one, because all are alike and there's not any form of injustice among them, whether they're pack or not. The disqualification by the moon rarely happens. Majority involves the kids as well, even newborns. A few other loopholes here and there.

 _But,_ if you really do get disqualified despite all of that, then _congrats,_ you're a _shit_ pack Alpha. Or were. Pardon the bluntness.

A few questions arise: _How the heck someone from the pack can overthrow an Alpha if they follow their command?_

Simple: They _don't._ Either they go rogue and then overthrown the Alpha ( _cue to go through the whole 'biting everyone'_ process, meaning that, in short, you gotta hunt down a whole pack to get their submission, forced or not. Or, y'know, the Luna?) or the pack agrees that they want another Alpha, and they disqualify their current one, and _cue to go through the whole–_ You get my point. Now, if the pack has a Luna, they're free to mate or not with the new Alpha. If they do decide to mate, then simple, not _cue for the,_ you know. _That._ Yeah.

_What if the Heir dies?_

Shit, make another. 

_What if the Luna dies?_

Shit, get anoth– wait no. If the Luna dies, and if _they_ were the one choosing a new Alpha, then it's alright. The Alpha stays. But! Since there's no bond to be broken, if a pack wants to overthrow an Alpha, then majority should agree.

_Can the Luna overthrow their original Alpha?_

Yes, it's simple. Put a pillow on the Alpha's face– _I'M KIDDING._ Well, no, not _really,_ happened in a few packs. Fair advice; Don't get a moody mate. But! Actually, in a way, yes. Just get the majority's vote. It's simpler in that way, actually. A pack Alpha may command the whole pack, but leave the charisma to the Luna. You can't _force_ people into everything, but you can always _goad_ them. Also, pack is very protective of the Luna as well. For example, if a Luna is going through abuse from the Alpha, the pack will easily, if not willingly, agree to overthrow and disqualify the Alpha.

_Does every pack and wolf know about these?_

Sadly, no.

I suppose that's all. If any of you have any questions, ask easily. I hope this class have been helpful. If you've put this amount of effort in your actual education, you'd be in _Harvard._ Which means you'd have to pay bills and student loans. So I don't know if you've done the right thing or not.

Well, this was Zayn, and this is the end of this document. Case closed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any feedback and all questions are appreciated! Xx
> 
> *Pretends to not think about how blabbering about imaginary biology was easier than leading a plot*


End file.
